The Hunter's Legacy: The Demon Blood Curse
by RoseRed1982
Summary: Dean's now in hell after his deal with the crossroads demon came due, totally unaware that he has a 12 year old daughter that's been looking for him. Dean's been brought back from Hell for reasons he's not entirely sure of...until he meets Castiel. A supposed angel of the Lord. Dean's not entirely sure he can believe any of what Castiel told him. Why would God need his help?
1. Chapter 1

A WEEK AFTER DEAN WENT TO HELL…..

Katie Winchester looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. She turned back to the bed where there was just about her entire wardrobe laid out on the bed. She pulled her shirt off and grabbed another. She put it on and then turned back to the mirror. She groaned in frustration and pulled that one off too.

She was nervous. If that wasn't evident by the dozens of times that she's changed outfits. She was going to meet her father today. A man she had only heard lopsided stories about. Lopsided because of she listened to her mother he was supernatural hunting playboy who preferred women in every city. While her Aunt Grace told her that her dad was a great guy. Hardworking, loyal and caring, despite what her mother told her.

She was also anxious too because if her mom was right then she'd find herself an orphan all over again. According to her mother, her father, Dean Winchester-the oldest of the famous Winchester brothers has never wanted to be a father and isn't ready to be one because he's too immature.

Grace Hamilton stepped out of the motel room bathroom and shut the light off. She stopped when she seen that Katie's duffle bag had exploded all over the bed. She smiled, folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the archway as she watched her Goddaughter. God, Dean, she's so much like you. It's scary sometimes. Grace had asked her so many times if she was nervous about meeting her father and she told her, 'No, there's no reason to be nervous'.

She's known Katie all her life and the young girl was nervous. Grace watched as another shirt was discarded. She snickered. "I thought you said you weren't nervous, Katie-did?"

She groaned and threw herself on the bed that had the clothes as she said, "I lied!"

Grace pushed herself off of the door frame and walked to the young girl. She sat down bedside and her looked down at her as she curled one leg on the bed. "Baby, I am so very sorry you have to go through this. If your mother had listened to me you would have met your dad before now."

She nodded. "I know, Aunt Grace." She sighed. "It's just…" she sat up. "…I want him to like me. Heck, I want him to love me." She exhaled. "Sometimes I wondered if mom loved me. And the stunt she pulled the night she died cements-"

"Katie, honey, I explained to you your dad storms into places just as much as your mom did. I've done it. Sometimes you don't know what you're getting into until you're already in it."

She pushed herself up and stormed to the middle of the room. "But mom knew!" she screamed. "She knew! You had told her over the danged phone to not do anything stupid! And what does she do, straps her gun on and storms into a demonic ambush!" Despite the way that Elizabeth Manning, her mother treated her, she missed her immensely. For almost 12 years she was her entire world. She was her mom.

Now, she was gone and now she was going to meet her father. She'd been dreaming about meeting Dean Winchester since her mom let it slip who her father was. If Grace's descriptions of the man were any indication, he was amazing. She could admit-if only to herself-from the stories Grace had told her she couldn't wait to meet him because her father seemed like a hero.

She turned to Grace. "Look, I know, he's a hunter like mom and so's Uncle Sam, but Aunt Grace, I don't see them storming into some place without knowing that possibly it could have been a trap."

She nodded in concession to her niece's assessment. "And you'd be right. When your mom and I left you with Jenny and went to help your dad and uncle Sam find your grandpa a few years ago, I specifically remember getting into many an argument with your mother because she wanted to storm in. She even hit your dad because he refused to let her just charge right in there."

The pre-teen girl sighed. She paced for a few a seconds and then stopped. "Wait. If you and mom went to help them how come mom never told dad about me then?"

"Because your mom had it in her damn head that your dad was still the immature guy that she had slept with almost ten years before." She looked at her niece. "Your dad's a mature guy when he has to be, Katie. He raised your Uncle Sam for God's sakes."

She threw her hands up in the air and growled. "So, basically, she didn't want me to have anything to do with my father, right?"

She nodded. "That would be my guess, yes. I think it's because she knows your father would have protested about how she raised you."

She stopped and stared at her in surprise. "So, he didn't want me raised in the lifestyle?"

She shook her head. "No. He was raised in it, Sweetheart. He hated it. Not as much as your Uncle Sam did, but he did. After your grandmother died, your dad became a four-year-old guardian to an infant and he's been taking care of Sam ever since. He had always told me and your mom that if he was lucky enough-" She looked at the girl- "Did you hear me?" The young girl nodded. "Lucky enough to have children that he would retire or do what your great-uncle Bobby does and become the fountain of knowledge for hunters."

She sighed and plopped down on the bed. "Wow…my life would have been different with him then."

She nodded. She smiled and patted her knee. "Let's get you dressed so we can meet your dad, huh?"

She nodded. "But, I can't find anything-"

"Okay, one thing I'm gonna tell you about your uncle and your father-they wear flannel-you don't need to impress them with fashion." She picked up a black t-shirt that said: Remember when I asked for your opinion? Yeah, me neither. "Wear that. Then when you finish getting ready, please put your stuff back in your bag."

She nodded and looked at the shirt and then her aunt. "Are you sure?"

She snickered. "Kate, honey, I love you more than anyone else in this world, but if you don't not put that shirt on I will pull it on you myself and then put you in the trunk."

Katie smirked at her aunt's empty threat. "Sorry. I just want to make a good impression. I want him to like me at least."

"And I will tell you what I've been telling you for months, Sweetheart. Your dad's gonna love you. And so will your Uncle Sam."

She sighed. She hoped Grace was right,

* * *

Katie couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her father was dead?! All of that preparation was for nothing. All that worry was for nothing. Now…now…she was officially an orphan. He'd never know about her ever. She'd never get to know the man that she shared eyes with. And she'd never meet the man that she got her love of bacon cheeseburgers from.

The weight that had hovered over her for the last few months finally slammed into her chest and she let the tears fall with the realization that she wanted it to happen. She wanted to meet him. She wanted to get to know him. She wanted to see if her mom was right. She wanted to finally say 'dad' to someone. She stared up at the man that thrown that grenade in their direction. Her green eyes filling with tears, "H-H-H-How did it-it-it h-h-h-happen?"

"A demon…a crossroads demon," the man in the flannel shirt and trucker hat explained.

In that moment her entire life halted. Both her parents were killed by demons…. She looked at Grace and then the man named Bobby. "Excuse me."

"KATIE!"

The young girl kept walking. Grace sighed and looked back at Bobby as the screen door slammed shut. "Damn it."

"What's wrong with her?"

She sighed, running her hand through her blond hair. "Bobby, that's Elizabeth….and Dean's daughter."

Bobby's jaw fell open. "Dean's her father?!"

She nodded. "I'd been wanting to tell everyone since Elle told me she was pregnant, but…"

He pushed his hat off and rubbed his head. "Damn it. And he never knew did he?"

She shook her head. "No…and that's not the kicker. The reason why I'm here is because Elle's dead. She was killed in a demonic ambush about a month ago," she told him. "Both of her parents were killed by demons."

He sighed. "But, Gracie, he chose it."

"What do you mean he chose it? No one chooses to be killed by a demon, Bobby."

"They do if they've made a deal with them so that his brother lives."

Her heart dropped to her toes. She shook her head, balled her fist and pounded the desk. "Sonofabitch!" She looked at Bobby. "They'll seriously do anything for each other won't they?"

He nodded. "What are we going to do about that Little Girl?"

She sighed. "I have no idea. Is Sam…is he okay?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Dean told me to keep an eye on him, to take care of him, but he left awhile ago and I haven't heard from him since."

"Where'd he go?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. He got into the Impala and drove." He sighed. "I can give you instructions on where Dean's buried. He might not be that far from there."

"What is he doing?"

"Trying to get him back."

She sighed. "Okay. Write them out and I'm going to go check on Katie. And see if she's okay with staying here with you."

"With me?!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," she said. "Bobby, I can't keep driving her around with me. She's used to it yes, but it'll only be for a little while and think of it this way...she's your connection to Dean. Even if Dean didn't know it, half of his DNA is in someone. Please?"

He saw the plea in her eyes and groaned. "Go. Go talk to her and see what she wants you to do. And if she doesn't mind staying with an old coot like me then I'll keep her."

She smiled and walked out. She walked the entire property, until she found her tucked away in the salvaging part of the property. "Katie."

The young girl sniffled and wiped her tears away. "Yeah?"

Grace walked to her and sat down on the torn apart Chevy that Katie sat on. "I'm so sorry. I should have asked-"

"It's not your fault, Aunt Grace. Stop acting like it is," she snapped, tears in her voice. "It's just my luck though. I mean, my mom didn't want me anymore and now she got what she wanted."

"What's that, Sweetheart?"

"He'll never know me either," she said sadly. "It's exactly what mom wanted. She didn't want me to have anything to do with the Winchester side of my family and now she gets her wish."

Grace's heart broke as she heard the little girl's sobs. "Oh, Sweetheart."

"Now," she tried to even out her voice from the sobs as she continued, "I'll never know him enough to even see if he wanted to be my dad." She looked at Grace, tears falling. "All I wanted was to know him. To finally call someone 'dad', Gracie."

When the girl broke down again, Grace pulled her into her arms and held her as she cried. She herself crying, not only for the little girl in her arms, but because of her best friend's actions and the fact that the man that she considered to be like a brother was gone and that he'd never get to know how wonderful his daughter was. She turned her face into the girl's dark hair. "I'm so so sorry, Katie. I wish I could change it for you." She kissed her hair. "If you want I can look for Uncle Sam, do you want me too?"

She nodded against her chest. "Do…do…do you think he'd want me?"

"Most definitely. But Kate, if I go looking for him, do you think it'd be okay to leave you here with Bobby?"

She eyed her suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because that man in there is the closest thing your dad had to a father. If you want to get to know the man your dad was then he's the man to ask. I promise you his bark is worse than his bite and you'll be totally safe. He used to watch your dad and Uncle Sam for your grandpa."

"Do you think Uncle Sam will…."

She nodded. "I think so. And you never know you might get normalcy after all." She kissed her forehead. "I love you to the moon and stars, Kiddo."

She smiled and hugged her. "I love you too, Aunt Gracie."

Grace sighed. She just hoped she was right about the older Winchester


	2. Chapter 2

**-September 18, 2008…..**

 **-4 Months After Dean Went To Hell….**

Katie scanned the books that were stacked in Bobby's office and looked over her shoulder. "You said monster, right, Uncle Bobby?"

He smiled from his spot at the phone. "Yes, Katie." The 12-year-old girl had taken to calling him 'Uncle Bobby' since he had told her that at one time he was like a brother to her grandfather.

She pulled the book from the pile and walked into the kitchen. She handed it to him. It'd been 4 months since Grace had left for Pontiac and besides the daily phone call, Katie hadn't seen her since. She was updating her on everything that was going on though with the hunt for her Uncle Sam.

She was currently back in Pontiac since she got word that Sam was seen there. Katie at this point had little doubt that the younger man would want anything to do with her, but Grace was insisting. So, here she was, 4 months of living with Bobby and she was actually having fun. She was going to a regular school. However, long that would be. Quickly discovering that she's actually at an 8th grader intellect, so they put her in eighth grade, the end of middle school and she was only 12.

She actually liked living with Bobby. They seem to be getting used to each other and she helped him help other hunters investigate the monsters that they're dealing with. She had gotten used to this as her life, but she couldn't help but wonder what living with her dad would have been like.

However, because he wanted to have his Uncle around, she'd never know that.

* * *

 **-Pontiac, IL….**

Dean Winchester came to inside of his coffin, coughing, gasping and gagging and totally unsure of how in the hell he got here. And where was here? He patted around for where he usually kept his lighter and almost smirked. It was definitely his body, but why? The usual thing to do for a hunter was to burn their bodies so that they couldn't be possessed later. So, why hadn't he been burned?

He pulled the lighter out and clicked the flame to life. He moved the light around and realized he was in a coffin. He started to panic when he realized he didn't have a way out. He tried to call out, but his voice was all raspy and his throat felt dry. He coughed softly to clear it. After a few more calls out for help, he started beating on the lid of the box and dirt started falling down on him. Finding the edge of the lid he started pulling on the lid until it collapsed and the dirt with it, all on top of him.

Finding the strength from somewhere, he pulled himself from the pile of dirt that fell on him and then up through the ground. It was actually kinda painful. Pulling himself through tons of dirt and grass felt like being locked in a vice. Once he was out and standing, he looked around. The trees laid down like a stack of dominoes all around his grave site. Having no clue as to where he was, he took his flannel off and tied it around his waist. He then started walking, looking for the nearest store or pay phone, something.

After a few hours, he came upon what looked like an abandoned gas station. He knocked a couple of times, but no answer. So, he used his shirt and busted the window open to unlock the door. He then opened the door and went for the coolers first for some water. He downed the first bottle, then started pulling out a bunch more. It was a long walk or drive, he'd need provisions.

He looked around and seen the newsstand. He walked to it and picked up the paper. September 18, 2008. "September…." he muttered. He walked into the bathroom and put his shirt down on the sink beside him as he cleaned himself up a little. After rinsing his face, he checked out his chest, remembering it was like ribbons when he died. He pulled up his shirt sleeve and hissed, but stared at the burnt on handprint on his arm.

He walked out of the bathroom and started stocking up. As he walked around the counter to the register, he opened it and took out the money, when the television came to life. He turned it off. Then, the radio came on, static with the slight melodic sound coming from it. He stepped forward to turn the radio off, then the TV popped back on again.

Quickly shoving the rest of the money into his pocket, he found some salt and put it on the window sills. A very high pitched hissing sound started filling the room, making his ears hurt. He covered one with one hand. But the sound got to be too much and he stopped, covering both ears. However, the frequency started breaking the windows in the place. Dean took cover, waiting it out.

After the strange occurrence happened, Dean found a pay phone and dialed a number. No luck. He tried another. This time it was Bobby. "Yeah?"

"Bobby?" Dean said.

"Yeah?"

"It's me."

"Who's "me"?"

"Dean."

The only response he got was a dial tone on Bobby's end. He hung up his own receiver and dialed again.

"Who is this?"

"Bobby, listen to me."

"This ain't funny. Call again, I'll kill ya."

He gets the dial tone again. Dean hangs up, turns. He sees an old beat up white car parked outside the station and hotwire it and prove to Bobby he's alive.

-Sioux Falls, South Dakota…..

Dean walked up the stairs of Bobby's home and banged on the front door. Bobby opened it and Dean smirks. "Surprise," he says.

Bobby's too shocked to do anything but stutter. "I, I don't..."

"Yeah, me neither." Bobby stepped back and Dean walked in. "But here I am."

Behind his back, Bobby picked up a silver knife. As Dean approached him, he lunged forward and slashes at him. He grabbed his arm and twists it around; Bobby breaks the grip and backhands him in the face. Dean stumbles back into the living room.

"Bobby! It's me!"

"My ass!"

Dean shoved a chair between him and Bobby, holding a hand out. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! Your name is Robert Steven Singer. You became a hunter after your wife got possessed, and... you're about the closest thing I have to a father. Bobby. It's me."

During the commotion, Katie came downstairs trying to figure out what in the hell was going on when she saw him. Her eyes popped wide and she gasped in surprised. "Bobby…"

Dean's green eyes went to the young girl that was standing in the kitchen. "What the hell? Bobby, you're a babysitter now?"

Bobby put his arm behind him, "Katie, stay back." He lowered the knife, kicked the chair out of the way and slowly stepped toward Dean and touched his shoulder. He suddenly slashed at him again, Dean quickly disarmed him. "I am not a shapeshifter!"

The girl named Katie, yelped as she watched the scene. Bobby fought him. "Then you're a Revenant!"

He shoved him away. He holds the knife now and holds it in front of him. "Alright. If I was either, could I do this – with a silver knife?" Dean pushed up his sleeve and sliced at his arm, grunting slightly with the pain. Blood appears and begins spilling out slowly out of his arm.

Katie's eyes popped wide again as she watched the blood spilling from her father's arm. Bobby realized in that moment he was telling the truth. "Dean?"

Relieved and emotional, Dean said, "That's what I've been trying to tell you."

Bobby broke emotionally, beginning to cry he pulled Dean in for a hug. Dean returned the hug with the same amount of emotion and then they pulled apart.

"It's... It's good to see you, boy."

"Yeah, you too."

"But... how did you bust out?"

"I don't know. I just, uh, I just woke up in a pine box..."

All Katie could do was stare at them both, but mostly her eyes wouldn't leave the green-eyed man. This man, standing in front of her was…was her father. She…she couldn't…believe it. He was here….he was here!

Out of nowhere, Bobby splashed water in Dean's face. He spit some out. "I'm not a demon either, you know."

"Sorry. Can't be too careful."

They walked further into the house, as Dean's wiping himself off and told him what had happened. Katie finally followed, as Bobby looked at him extremely confused. "But... that don't make a lick of sense."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're preachin' to the choir." Dean slid his eyes to the young girl. There was something familiar about her. And why was she staring at him like that?

"Dean. Your chest was ribbons, your insides were slop. And you've been buried four months. Even if you could slip out of hell and back into your meat suit—"

"I know, I should look like a Thriller video reject," he joked.

"What do you remember?"

"Not much. I remember I was a Hellhound's chew toy, and then... lights out. Then I come to six feet under, that was it." He looked at Katie again as she walked toward Bobby. Where in the hell did he know her from? And why did she keep staring at him like that?

Bobby sat as Dean walked around the Desk. "Sam's number's not working. He's, uh... he's not..."

"Oh, he's alive. As far as I know."

"Good... Wait, what do you mean, as far as you know?"

"I haven't talked to him for months."

"You're kidding, you just let him go off by himself?"

"He was dead set on it."

"Bobby, you should've been looking after him."

"I tried. These last months haven't been exactly easy, you know. For him or me. We had to bury you."

Dean's brow furrowed a little. "Why did you bury me, anyway?"

"I wanted you salted and burned. Usual drill. But... Sam wouldn't have it."

"Well, I'm glad he won that one."

"He said you'd need a body when he got you back home somehow. That's about all he said."

Dean's voice dropped suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"He was quiet. Real quiet. And then he just took off. Wouldn't return my calls. I tried to find him, but he didn't want to be found."

The young girl spoke this time, "Aunt Grace, has been looking for him and she's gotten close, but she said that was basically staying in the area wherever it was that you were buried."

Realizing what that meant and remembering what all he saw around him when he came up, he swore, "Oh, damn it, Sammy."

"What?"

"Oh, he got me home okay. But whatever he did, it is bad mojo."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You should have seen the grave site. It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this... this force, this presence, I don't know, but it, it blew past me at a fill-up joint. And then this." He stripped off his button-down and then pulled up his t-shirt sleeve to reveal the hand branding on his arm.

Bobby stood coming to him. "What in the hell?"

"It was like a demon just yanked me out. Or rode me out."

"But why?"

"To hold up their end of the bargain."

"You think Sam made a deal." It wasn't a question.

"It's what I would have done." He looked at the young girl.

"Aunt Grace?" Dean asked, the smile on his lips going to his eyes. She was really cute.

She nodded. "She was my mom's best friend. Grace Hamilton? She said she knew you and Sam from way back. Even she and my mom helped you find your dad."

Dean froze when she said that. "Your mom?" He turned to the young girl. "Your mom wouldn't by any chance be Elizabeth Manning would she?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She slid her eyes quickly to Bobby.

Bobby looked at Dean. "Son, sit down."

"Bobby-"

"Sit down," he ordered. Dean sat and Bobby looked at him. "What I'm about to tell you will be hard to believe but you gotta trust me it's true."

He nodded slowly, looking from Bobby to Katie, then back again. "Okay…"

Bobby took a breath. "Dean, Katie's your daughter."

Dean's entire body froze with that proclamation. He shot up an eyebrow at the older man. "My…my…what?"

Bobby looked at the young girl with the brown hair and green eyes-Dean's jaw fell open….his eyes-and Bobby nodded to the girl. She looked at Dean. "I don't know why you're making me do this. He probably doesn't even remember. My name's Katherine Elizabeth Winchester. I was born July fourth nineteen-ninety-six." She reached behind her into her back pocket and pulled out a photograph. She held it out to him. "I've had this picture since I was four."

Dean took the photo from her and looked down at it. It was a picture of Elizabeth and himself. He didn't recognize anything in the background, but he remembered that day. He turned his eyes back up to Katie.

She took another breath and continued, "Mom gave me that photo telling me that the man in the photo was my father. Aunt Grace backed her up." She tucked the corner of her bottom lip into her mouth and began chewing as she wrung her hands nervously. This was the moment she was dreading 5 months ago, because there was no guarantees that he'd believe her and she'd wind up in the same place she was now. Missing a father whom she didn't even know would have wanted her to begin with.

Bobby leaned down, opened a drawer and pulled out a manila folder. He handed it to Dean. "Inside that folder is Katie's birth certificate." He looked into Dean's eyes. "Now, Elizabeth may be a lot of things, especially now, but you know she's not a liar, Dean. Not about something like this."

Dean took the folder and opened it. He studied the birth certificate and then went to father's name and sitting there in bold lettering was his full name. He looked at her birthday again and then up at Katie. "Oh…my…God…Reno," he muttered.

"What?" Katie said, confused. "What about Reno?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He looked up and smiled as he watched her gnaw on her bottom lip. Elizabeth did that when she was really nervous. "Your mom did that."

"What?" she asked.

"Chewed her bottom lip when she was nervous," Dean answered.

He couldn't believe this…he was a dad! He was a dad! He actually lived long enough to have child. How in the hell had that happened? And why did she know anything about this? "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded slowly. "Absolutely."

"How do you know about all this? This life?"

She took a deep breath and released it. "Mom."

"But she knew how I felt about raising-"

"She didn't care," Katie said simply. "Mom never did when it came to you. I don't know how things ended with you two but that was the reason why she never told you. She didn't care if I had a father or not. To her you were basically an overgrown frat boy with a sex God complex." She shrugged. "Whatever that means."

He was stunned. It's amazing what children will admit that adults won't. "She said that?"

She nodded. "Word for word. I have no idea what it means and quite frankly, Dean, I don't want to know." She sighed and chewed her bottom lip again. She wanted to ask him a question but she didn't know how or even if it was appropriate.

Dean didn't like that she called him by his first name. It felt strange. He may not have ever thought of himself as becoming a father or being a father but he had always wanted to be one and he had hoped that his kids would call him by 'dad'. "Huh…it's amazing what you learn from the mouth of your own child."

Her heart literally skipped a beat. "So….you believe me?"

He nodded. "Of course I do. Bobby's right. Your mom may be a lot of things but she'd never lie about something like this. Not to mention, that this birth certificate is pretty legit."

She squealed happily and without thinking, launched herself at Dean, hugging him around the neck. "EEE! Thank you!" Realizing what she had done, she jumped back. "Sorry."

Bobby smirked. "She's a hugger when she gets excited."

He nodded. "I noticed."

An awkward silence fell between them. Not exactly sure what else to say, Dean looked at Katie and asked, "Shall we locate your Uncle?"

She nodded. "The last time I talked to Aunt Grace she was in Indiana or something. She was on his trail." Then a thought occurred to her. "What's the name of the cell phone company he uses?"

Dean smirked. "How'd you know about that?"

She shrugged. "The night mom died-long story tell you later-Aunt Grace and I used the GPS on her phone to find her. I bet we could do that with Sam's."

After Dean finds Sam by the GPS on his phone, they figure out he's in Pontiac, Illinois. Hopping into one of Bobby's many cars they head for Illinois.

-Pontiac, IL….

4 months later and she finally tracked him down to one place. She walked into the Astoria hotel and asked for his room number. She glared at the man at the desk and said, "Look, dude, that man's my husband and I have it on good authority he's upstairs right now banging some girl he works with. So, give me his room number or I'll make-"

"All right," he said. He gave her the number and she went up to the room. She knocked and pretty brunette with dark eyes answered. "Is Sam here?"

"Sam…." she called.

Sam walked into view and stopped when he saw Grace at the door. "Grace?"

Without as much as a hi, she stormed into the room, pulled back her fist and punched Sam hard. He stumbled back. "Fuck!" he exclaimed. "What the hell was that for?!"

"For making me come looking for you!" she screamed. She looked at the girl. "You can close the door."

"Okay, now that you found me, what the hell do you want?"

Bobby, Dean and Katie, walked to the door and Katie heard the muffled argument. She stopped her dad. "Dean, wait. Listen."

He really didn't like her using his first name like everyone else did.

"So, instead of calling ME, you turn to who? A bar slut? Geez, Sam if you needed a roll in the sheets I could've helped. God knows, what you could catch from her."

They heard the muffled sounds of Sam asking something, but couldn't make it out, but they heard, Grace say, "I'm here because your niece needs you, You Stupid Jackass."

Then he hears, "My what?"

Katie smiled. "Ooh, let me knock, please? This will definitely be a lot more fun than telling you."

He nodded. "Go ahead."

She knocked. A hot dark haired young woman answered, "So where is it?"

Dean looked at Bobby confused, then looked at the woman. "Where's what?"

"The pizza... that takes two guys and a little girl to deliver?"

"I think we got the wrong room."

They see Sam step out and say, "Hey, is..." but stops when he sees Dean. He swallowed hard, shocked. His eyes flicking between Dean and Bobby.

Dean smiled, his eyes brighten. "Hiya, Sammy."

Sam is totally silent. Dean stepped into the room, ushering his daughter in before him, ignoring the brunette as she let them in. As Dean got close, Sam pulled a knife and lunged at him, pushing Katie to the floor. The brunette screamed. Dean blocked Sam's attack and Bobby pulls Sam off, gripping him around the shoulders. Sam struggled to get free.

Dean walked over to Katie and helped her to her feet. "You okay, Sweetheart?"

She nodded. "Does this happen a lot?"

He chuckled."No."

Sam shouted, "Who are you?!"

"Like you didn't do this?!"

"Do what?!"

Bobby kept his grip on Sam. "It's him. It's him. I've been through this already, it's really him."

Sam stared at Dean, the struggling slowly leaving his body as confusion sets in. "What...?"

Dean walked to him cautiously. "I know. I look fantastic, huh?"

Bobby let go of him, who looks like he's on the verge of tears as he steps forward and pulls Dean into a desperate hug. They embrace for several seconds, hanging on. Bobby watched his boys being reunited and he couldn't help the emotion that sprang to his eyes with the tears. Sam pushed Dean back at arm's length.

The brunette looked between the 2 brothers. "So are you two like... together?"

Both Dean and Sam looked at her surprised that she'd ask that. "What? No. No. He's my brother."

"Uh... got it. I... I guess. Look, I should probably go."

Sam says it's probably a good idea and after she gets dressed he walks her out, using the wrong name and then shuts the door in her face. Sam pulled on his shoes. Katie looked at her uncle and said, "Just a thought, Sam, if you're gonna sleep with a girl you may want to get her name first and make sure you commit it to memory."

He couldn't help it, he laughed. "Yeah, thanks."

"So tell me, what'd it cost?"

Sam smiled. "The girl? I don't pay, Dean."

"That's not funny, Sam. To bring me back. What'd it cost? Was it just your soul, or was it something worse?"

"You think I made a deal?"

"That's exactly what we think."

"Well, I didn't."

Dean looked at him, the authority coming into his voice. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

Not believing him, Dean walked to him. "So what now, I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch-boy? I didn't want to be saved like this."

Dean pushed himself up from the bed, angrily. "Look, Dean, I wish I had done it, all right?"

Dean reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt. "There's no other way that this could have gone down. Now tell the truth!"

Sam broke Dean's grip. "I tried everything. That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right? You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn't stop it. So I'm sorry it wasn't me, all right? Dean, I'm sorry."

Dean relented. He knew the kid better than anyone. "It's okay, Sammy. You don't have to apologize, I believe you."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm gladdened that Sam's soul remains intact, but it does raise a sticky question."

"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?"

"The more pressing question is, who's the small fry and why did Grace say I have a niece?" He looked at his brother. "You don't have kids, Dean."

"Actually, I do," he said. He went to Katie. "Sam, meet my daughter, your niece, Katie Winchester. Katie, your Uncle Sam."

Sam's eyes bulge in surprise. "Your daughter? With who?"

Grace answered this time, "Elle."

Sam is shocked. Looks between all 3 of them. "Elizabeth was pregnant?" He looked at Grace. "And you never said anything?"

She shoved at his shoulder. "What was I supposed to say?! She was my best friend. You're my family, but it wasn't my place, Sammy. I've told her several times to tell him, but she never did. So...we're here. Elizabeth's dead."

"Cuz she was stupid and wouldn't wait for back up."

"Kate-"

"It's true! If she had waited she would still be alive."

"So...wait. Lizzy died because.…"

Grace sighed. "Cause she wouldn't wait for me to go with her. I was fixing a wound Katie got and-"

Dean turned immediately to his daughter. "You were hurt?"

Katie sighed. "Long story." She seen the look in her father's eyes and said, "I promise to tell you, but not right now."

He nodded. "I'm just confused. Why wouldn't she tell me?"

"She believed you weren't ready to be a father." She looked at Dean, in the eyes. "You were seventeen. Elle wasn't even ready, Dean."

Katie watched as a sad look went into his eyes.

"How would she know if I was never given the chance to find out?"

"I know. I tried telling her that, but she kept saying because I didn't get naked with you I had no reason to think I knew you better than her."

"Well, it sounds like that despite our history she didn't know me either."

"So, you do want me?" Katie asked, hopeful.

Dean looked from Grace to Bobby to Sam, then back to Katie. He knelt down in front of her. "I'm going to be totally honest with you, okay?"

She nodded. She wasn't exactly sure she was going to like where this was headed.

"Look, Katie, in this life, having a child isn't exactly ideal, because what we do could kill us and that's the last thing I would have ever wanted was to leave you or any other children I have alone in the world. I never thought I'd live long enough to be a father. I never pictured myself a father. I thought the closest I'd ever come to being a dad was raising your Uncle Sam." He gently pushed her hair out of her eyes. "But I'm ecstatic you're here. I want to get to know you and I hope someday you'll let me be your dad."

Katie smiled and hugged him, sincerely. This wasn't a hug that was provoked by just happiness, this was a hug that combined being happy and because she wanted one. She felt like she was in heaven when she felt his arms go around her and hugged her tight. She turned her face into his neck. "I've always wanted to meet you. To get to know you. To finally say I have a dad."

He had never thought he'd hear that and his heart knew it. It thudded softly against his chest, happy and excited for whatever was going to happen. He tilted his head to her ear. "Now, you got one, okay?"

She nodded and hugged him tighter. She stepped back and Grace stepped forward. She lunged into Dean's arms and held on. "God, I missed you!" she exclaimed.

"Missed you too, Gracie."

Dean kept her in the hug just for a few more minutes and then looked into her blue eyes. "So, tell me…you gonna stick around?"

Grace looked up into his eyes. "If you want me to. I know how you felt about 'groupies' as you called them."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I need your help learning about my daughter."

She smiled. It was his subtle way of telling her that he wanted her there. "Okay. I'll stay. Until you get tired of me that is."

"Sam?" Katie interjected.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Um…do you have something for a non-twenty-one year old to drink? I'm thirsty."

He nodded. "I got water. Is that okay?"

She shrugged. "Yeah."

He nodded and grabbed her a water and the others beers. He handed her a bottled water, then passed out the beers. He took a swig of his own, while Katie took a drink of her water. "Can I ask you something, Katie?"

She nodded. "Sure."

"How old are you?"

"Um…I turned twelve two months ago." She seen the looks on both Winchester men's faces and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Mom never celebrated my birthday. I don't ever remember having a gift or anything for my birthday, except this," she held out her wrist and on it hung a charm bracelet, "which is from aunt Grace." She looked at her father. "Like Grace said, mom wasn't ready and it showed. Trust me."

"So, two months ago, would be July, right?"

She nodded. "July fourth," she answered.

"So what were you doing around here if you weren't digging me out of my grave?"

"Well, once I figured out I couldn't save you, I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback."

"All by yourself," Bobby said accusatory. "Who do you think you are, your old man?"

Dean sees something across the room and walks towards it.

Feeling guilty Sam said, "Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, Bobby. I should have called. I was pretty messed up."

Dean straightened and holds up a pink lace bra. "Oh yeah. I really feel your pain."

"Anyways, uh, I was checking these demons out of Tennessee, and out of nowhere they took a hard left, booked up here."

"When?"

"Yesterday morning."

"When I busted out."

"You think these demons are here 'cause of you?" Bobby asked.

"But why?"

"They can't be that angry that you got out to come all the way up here, can they?" Katie asked.

"Well, I don't know – some badass demon drags me out and now this? It's gotta be connected somehow."

"How you feelin', anyway?"

"I'm a little hungry."

"Me too," Katie added.

"No, I mean, do you feel like yourself? Anything strange, or different?"

"Or demonic? Bobby, how many times do I have to prove I'm me?"

"Yeah. Well, listen. No demon's letting you loose out of the goodness of their hearts. They've gotta have something nasty planned."

"Well, I feel fine."

"Okay, look, we don't know what they're planning," Sam said. "We got a pile of questions and no shovel. We need help."

"I know a psychic. A few hours from here. Something this big, maybe she's heard the other side talking," Bobby inquired.

"Hell yeah, it's worth a shot."

"I'll be right back." Bobby leaves.

Dean stands up as to exit the room, when Sam stops him.

"Hey, wait." He stood. "You probably want this back."

Sam takes off the necklace that he got off Dean. It's Dean's amulet. He places it into Dean's hand. He looked at it, touched. "Thanks."

"Yeah, don't mention it."

Dean puts the amulet on as Katie asks, "What is it?"

"It's a, uh…it's a necklace that your uncle Sam got me when I was about your age."

"Oh, that's cool," she said smiling. She looked at Sam. "May I use your bathroom?"

He smiled. "Yeah. Go ahead."

She started jogging toward the room and Sam stopped her. He smiled. "Katie, for future reference you don't have to ask."

She smiled. "Thanks."

Sam smiled. "She looks like Elle."

He nodded. "I know."

"But she's got your eyes and personality."

Grace smiled. "I was hoping you'd notice that," she said. "Elle kept arguing with me that her daughter doesn't act anything like you." She sighed. "Trust me when I tell you this. She deserved a better mom than the one she got. And you deserved to know you were a father." She looked at Dean. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. It's okay. I get to now and that's all that matters. Besides, it's not your fault that my ex became a bitch after she broke up with me."

The room fell silent and to break it, Sam asked, "Hey Dean, what was it like?"

"What, Hell? I don't know, I, I must have blacked it out. I don't remember a damn thing."

Sam nodded. "Well, thank God for that."

"Yeah."

Katie walked out of the bathroom and Dean walked in.

They leave the motel not long after Dean got out of the bathroom. Sam tossed Dean the keys and he looked at the car like a man in love. Katie laughed. "Oh, my God! Mom was right."

"About what?" he asked, touching the black satin of the car's body.

"That you love this car as if she's a girl."

Sam snickered. Dean smiled. "It was your grandfather's car, you know?"

"Really?"

He nodded. "He took care of her and so do I."

She nodded. "Okay." She looked over the roof of the car and smiled at Grace. "Note to self, don't get upset when I discover that he loves the car more than me."

Grace laughed softly. Dean stopped and looked at his daughter, halting her entrance into the car. "Katie."

"Yes?" she asked looking at him sideways.

"I know it's gonna take you awhile to believe me, but I can tell you right now if it was your life or this car that would be a no-brainer for me."

She smiled and tapped his arm. "Sure, Dean. Let's go talk to this psychic." She slid into the car.

Grace sighed and looked at Dean. "Don't worry. She'll believe you sooner than you think. She's spent eight years trying to decipher my stories of you and her mother's. Once she figures out that I'm right she'll let you in. I promise."

He got into the car and drove off.

They went to a psychic friend of Bobby's named Pamela. She sets up and prepares for the seance and then looks for something that the mystery guy touched. Dean reveals the handprint on his arm and Pamela touches it and started the seance.

At the end of it, they got a name and Pamela ended up in the hospital with her eyes burned out. By Bobby's orders, Sam, Dean, Grace and Katie leave. They get into the car and start driving. Katie sighed. "Dean."

"Dean?" Sam asked. "I thought you said she was your daughter?"

"She is," he countered.

Grace chuckled. "Sammy, she's gone twelve years without a dad. It's gonna take a little getting used to. She'll get used to having Dean around and you won't get her to stop using it."

Dean looked through the rear-view mirror at her. "What's up, Kit-Kat?"

She smiled. She actually liked that her dad gave her a nickname. Grace gave her the nickname of Katie. While her mom always called her 'Katherine'. Which might be why she hated her full name. "I'm hungry. Do you think we can get something to eat?"

He nodded. "Absolutely."

They found a diner about a mile out of town and Dean pulled in, just as Grace's phone rang. She stepped out of the car and flipped it open. "Grace Hamilton." She listened. "Hey, Mike. What's up?"

They all walked into the diner and they found a booth, while Sam went to call Bobby to check on Pamela. Katie flipped through the menu. She knew what she wanted, but…

"Order anything, Kiddo."

"Anything?"

He nodded.

"Okay. Can I have a bacon double cheeseburger, fries and a large chocolate shake?"

He laughed. "Oh, you are so my daughter!" he exclaimed happily. "You can absolutely have that."

"With a slice of apple pie?" she added.

He smiled. "Absolutely."

Grace hung up the phone and sighed. "Kate, how much would you hate me if I told you I had to leave for awhile?"

"Why this time?"

"Because Mike Davern needs my help in Vermont."

"You mean that guy that mom hooked up with for like two weeks while we were there?"

She nodded. "Is that okay?"

She shrugged. "Whatever."

"Kate-"

"What am I going to say, Aunt Grace? You're an adult and if Mike really needs your help then you need to go. You don't need my permission to do it." She looked over at her dad. "Unless for some reason Dean doesn't want me around."

He scoffed. "You kidding? Now that I got you do you really think you're going anywhere?"

She smiled. She looked at her Godmother. "Go."

She nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna put your homeschooling homework in your bag. I got lessons planned out for a month and I'll talk to Uncle Sam and see if he can help you when you need it, okay?"

She nodded. "Be careful."

"I promise, Beautiful." She stood and walked out. Stopping to talk to Sam.

Dean and Katie ordered food. Katie ordered a piece of apple pie with vanilla ice cream while Dean ordered for himself and Sam.

Sam walked to the table and slid in.

"What'd Bobby say?"

"How's Pamela?" Katie asked.

"Pam's stable. And out of I.C.U."

"And blind, because of us."

Katie exhaled. "Guys, com on. This wasn't our fault."

"Katie's right. And we still have no clue who we're dealing with.

"That's not entirely true."

"No?"

"We got a name. Castiel, or whatever. With the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us."

"You're crazy. Absolutely not."

"We'll work him over. I mean, after what he did?"

"Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you want to have a face to face?"

"You got a better idea?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. I followed some demons to town, right?"

"Okay."

"What's that got to do with this?"

"So, we go find them. Someone's gotta know something about something."

"Yeah, but what if we're not dealing with a demon?" Katie asked.

As uncomfortable as it made Dean to have her here and helping them, he had to ask. "What do you mean, Sweetheart?"

"Well, from what I've read of Aunt Grace's books and of mom's, demons don't do that. Not unless they're high-tiered demons. And as much as Uncle Sam loves you." She paused. And me already. "I don't think you're that important to anyone down there."

The waitress dropped their plates down in front of them and then took a seat. Dean looked at her, while Grace lifted a brow in surprise. "You angling for a tip?" Dean asked.

"I'm sorry. Thought you were looking for us." She closed and opened her eyes and they were demon-black.

Without realizing it, Katie grabbed for Dean's arm. A man in a uniform and a cook behind the counter also have black eyes. The uniformed man goes and locks the door, standing guard in front of it.

The waitresses eyes go back to normal. "Dean. To hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck."

"That's me."

"So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh? Tell me. What makes you so special?"

"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples. I don't know. Wasn't my doing, I don't know who pulled me out." He felt Katie's grip get tighter and he curled his arm subtlety.

"Right. You don't," the demon said snidely.

"No. I don't."

"Lying's a sin, you know."

"I'm not lying. But I'd like to find out, so if you wouldn't mind enlightening me, Flo…"

"Mind your tone with me, boy. I'll drag you back to hell myself."

Sam shifted in his chair as if to attack her, but Dean stopped him. He settled back into his seat. "No, you won't," Dean told her.

Katie's grip tightened.

"No?"

"No. Because if you were you would have done it already. Fact is, you don't know who cut me loose. And you're just as spooked as we are. And you're looking for answers. Well, maybe it was some turbo-charged spirit. Or, uh, Godzilla. Or some big bad boss demon. I'm guessing at your pay grade that they don't tell you squat. Because whoever it was, they want me out. And they're a lot stronger than you. So go ahead. Send me back. But don't come crawling to me when they show up on your front doorstep with some Vaseline and a fire hose."

"I'm going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs."

Dean leaned forward, challenge in his eyes. He gently took his arm back and slapped demon, once and then again. All she did was glare at them. "That's what I thought. Let's go, Sam," Dean sneered.

Dean took Katie's hand. "Come on, Sweetheart. We'll get you something to eat a drive thru." He threw down money on the table. "For the pie."

They went back to Sam's motel and they discussed sleeping arrangements. Dean took the pull-out bed and Sam kept his bed. While Katie took the recliner that was in the room. However, her and Dean were sitting on the pull-out couch reading several books laid out in front of them and her mom's journal, when they both fell asleep. She dropped her head to his torso and curled up.

Katie stirred slightly when she heard the high-pitched ringing sound, then the TV flipped on and the static was really loud. She groaned and murmured, "Dad, make it stop."

As she said that, the radio started tuning. She moaned again and Dean started to stir. He touched her head gently. "Kitty?"

"Make it stop," she murmured curling into him more.

He rubbed his eyes and looked around, realizing what was going on. He gently tapped Katie. "Sweetheart, sit up, please."

She moaned and sat up. "What?" She gasped softly as her dad reached around her for the shotgun.

He hopped over the bed. "Come here, Sweetheart."

She moved off the bed and stood behind her dad as he looked around the room. She looked where Sam would have been sleeping and looked at her dad. "Where's Sam?"

He looked at the bed and noticed the lack of a body. "I don't know."

The ringing got louder and Katie quickly covered her ears. As it got louder and louder and the mirrors started to shatter, Katie fell to her knees. Dean soon followed and pulled her into him, protecting her as the windows and mirrors began to shatter.

Bobby rushed in and saw Dean curled around Katie, bleeding from his ears. The ringing stopped once Bobby got their attention. Katie groaned and sat up, fiddling with her ears. Dean looked at her. "Are you okay?" he asked in a normal voice.

"WHAT?" she screamed over the ringing in her own ears.

He looked her over and only saw a small cut on her arm from the glass. He looked at Bobby. "Get me a washcloth, please?"

He walked into the bathroom and came back out with a damp washcloth. Dean looked at his daughter. "Sweetheart, I'm gonna clean you up, okay?"

"WHAT?!"

He smiled. He showed her where she was bleeding. He then looked into her eyes as he said, "I'm going to clean you up, okay?"

She nodded. About 10 minutes later, they were on the road with Bobby driving and Dean cleaning out his ears of the blood. On the way to finding the thing that was doing all this, Dean called Sam to check in. After lying to him, they were off.

Inside the warehouse, where Dean and Bobby waited for Castiel to show, Katie turned to her father. "I can't hear anything!"

He smiled. "Give it a little more time, Kiddo. I promise."

She wiggled her ear trying to get the ringing to stop. "This is so weird!"

As they waited, Katie got her hearing back. The wind picked up violently and the shingles on the roof started to rattle and thud. The light bulbs started to burst all around them and Katie squeaked in fright. They ducked slightly. The door came open and the light sockets began to spark. Through the dramatic entrance they saw a guy in a trenchcoat walk in.

"Most things that I know that appear in a trenchcoat are never good!" Katie yelled over the commotion.

Dean looked at her. "Keep close and stay behind me."

Bobby and Dean attempt to shoot him, but it's like they bounce off him. Dean picked up the demon knife of Ruby's and circled with the man. "Who are you?"

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition."

"Yeah. Thanks for that," he said sarcastically. He stabbed the man in the chest, but it didn't do anything. Katie looked from the strange man to her dad. "I think you made it mad."

The man gripped the knife and pulled it off his chest, dropping it to the floor. Bobby attempted to hit him with a crowbar, but the trenchcoat guy caught the bar and touched Bobby's head and the older man fell to the floor. Katie gasped and put her hand into Dean's. He turned to Dean. "We need to talk, Dean. Alone."

He started going for Katie when Dean moved her more behind him. "Touch her and so help me…"

The man looked at him and knew that he better not. "All right."

Dean walked over to Bobby and felt for a pulse. The man flipped through the book that was sitting on the table and said, "Your friend is alive."

Dean glared up at him. "Who are you?"

"Castiel."

"What do you want?" Katie said softly.

"Yeah, I figured that much, I mean what are you?"

"I'm an Angel of the Lord."

Dean slowly stood. "Get the hell out of here. There's no such thing."

"This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith."

Katie opened her mouth to say something when the sound of thunder crashing and lightning lit the room. She block the light and saw the shadow of the man's wings. "Oh, my…God. Dean."

"I see it, Sweetheart."

Dean looked at Castiel. "Some angel you are. You burned out that poor woman's eyes."

"I warned her not to spy on my true form. It can be... overwhelming to humans, and so can my real voice. But you already knew that."

His lips fell into a frown. "You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking?"

Castiel nodded.

Dean's brow furrowed slightly. "Buddy, next time, lower the volume."

"That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong."

"And what visage are you in now, huh? What, holy tax accountant?"

Katie giggled behind her father.

"This? This is... a vessel."

"You're possessing some poor bastard?"

"He's a devout man, he actually prayed for this."

"Well, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?"

Castiel frowned, disappointed. "I told you."

He still couldn't believe it. "Right. And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?"

Castiel stepped toward him and the Sassy one stepped up next to him. "Good things do happen, Dean."

"Not in my experience," he all but muttered.

Castiel's brow furrowed in confusion. "What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?"

"Why'd you do it?"

"Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you."


	3. Chapter 3

**-September 20, 2008….**

"UNCLE SAM!"

Sam raised an eyebrow curiously at his brother. "Uncle Sam? Since when…?"

"She calls me dad sometimes, but then corrects herself. I think she wants to go do it, but isn't sure if we're gonna stick around. So…just go with it."

Sam walked into the kitchen. "Yes, Katie?"

"Grace wants to talk to you about my schooling." She walked into the living room, on her way in, she hands her phone to Sam. She looked at her father. "Are you cool with me being with you forever?"

"Huh?" he asked a little confused. "I…I thought that that's what being a parent was about, Kiddo?" he asked.

She shrugged. Dean knew that if he wanted her to open up to him, he'd have to insist on it. "Katie, you can tell me anything and I promise you whatever you've gotta say isn't going to make me run in the other direction."

"Grace isn't coming back."

"Wha…what?"

She nodded. "So, if you have a problem with me being with you and Sam you might want to say something now and I don't know…I'll stay with Bobby."

"She's really not coming back?"

She shook her head. "She's going to join forces with that Mike guy and tool around with him." She sighed and plopped on the couch. She laid back. "Why doesn't anyone want to be around me?"

Dean smiled. And our first teenage mood swing. "Sweetheart, I want to be here. I wasn't lying when I told you that I wanted to be your dad, Katie. I'm sorry that Grace and your mother have disappointed you, but I can at least promise that I'm going to try not to."

She sighed heavily. "Dad," she said softly and Dean smiled, but she kept her arm over her eyes. "They disappoint me. They dropped the ball. Mom was supposed to be my mom and once I got old enough to be on my own she would leave me in the motel room while her and Grace went to hunt the big bad. The only reason why I know what I know about hunting now is because Grace was afraid that whatever they were hunting would come for me to get to them."

"And she's right," he told her. "They will. How much did Grace show you."

"Well, I'm only five-one…I know how to punch hard enough to get away."

He laughed softly and moved to the couch. He crouched down in front of her. "Well, that's good, but Katie, honey, your height hasn't got anything to do with your ability to kick ass, trust me." He sighed. "As much as I didn't want you to know about this world I can't stop it now. So, if you want me to I can teach you how to do it."

She turned her head quickly and stared at him. "Really?"

He nodded. She slowly sat up and looked at her dad. "You're not going to bail or tell me later that I'm too young?"

He shook his head. "No. Grace is right about one thing, Honey."

"What's that?"

"Whatever we're hunting might come after you to get to us." He looked at up as Sam walked in. "I know Uncle Sam and I will be more at ease knowing you can take care of yourself."

"Especially since you're going to be with us one-hundred percent of the time."

"Wha..wha..what do you mean?"

Dean looked at him with an identical confused look. Sam smiled. "Grace called to inform Katie that she wasn't coming back and anything that she was instructed to either keep or throw out. While she wanted to talk to me about becoming Katie's teacher."

Katie's jaw dropped in shock. "Really?"

He nodded. "There's some things I gotta do before the state will accept it but if you want I will teach you until you graduate from high school and then we'll discuss what to do after that-hunting full-time or college." He looked at Dean and then said, "That's your choice."

She looked from Sam to Dean and stared at Dean. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

She smiled. Sam looked at Dean. "Grace is going to rush mail me Katie's information. I have to do a bunch of stuff before South Dakota will accept it, but it shouldn't be a problem for me to be her teacher." He studied him. "If that's okay with you?"

He nodded. "Absolutely. Sammy, you know I sucked in school. I'm still not entirely sure how I graduated."

Sam laughed. He knew how important it was for his brother to have a relationship with his daughter and honestly he wanted one with her too. He looked at Katie. "And your dad's right. You're stuck with us, Kate. If you want us that is?"

She looked at both of the guys. "So, wait, um…you want me to stick around?"

Dean nodded. "You're my kid. I'm not going to turn my back on you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for the first twelve years of your life, but I would love to be there for the rest." He pushed a curly tendril from her face. "But, Sweetheart, I'm gonna ask you to be patient with me and your uncle Sam. We've never raised a kid and definitely not a little girl."

She laughed. "I'm not much different than a boy, da-Dean. Except I have my period and I'm growing boobs." She wrapped her arms around his neck and held tight. She turned her face into his neck and whispered, "Thank you for everything. I don't care what mom thought you're ready to be my dad."

He smiled. "Does that mean you'll start calling me dad?"

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Maybe someday soon."

Hey, he'd take that any day.


	4. Chapter 4

**-September 22, 2008…..**

Katie stirred in her bed at the sound of raised voices. She moaned and looked at the bedside clock. She sat up and ran a hand through her brown hair. She sighed. She padded downstairs and looked at her dad and uncle. "What's with the raised voices, guys?" she muttered. She walked to the coffee pot that just had water in it. She poured some water into the mug on the counter.

Dean winced. "I'm sorry, Baby. Me and Uncle Sam are discussing what Castiel said to us the other night."

She prepared her hot chocolate the way she liked it and then turned to her dad. She sipped and then smiled. "Don't let me stop you. Is anyone going to town today?"

"We could," Sam said. "Whatcha need?"

She looked at each guy and sighed. "Girl stuff. Not to mention some school supplies. If we're gonna do this whole homeschool thing then I want to be prepared. Grace wasn't last year and we always seemed to be stopping for supplies at each case location."

Sam nodded. "That can be arranged. Once you eat your breakfast and take a shower."

She nodded. She walked over to the table and sat across from Sam. "So, what's the debate about?"

"Your dad doesn't think that Castiel pulled him from hell."

"He didn't!" he exclaimed.

"Well, then tell me what else it could be."

"Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel."

"Yeah, it seems plausible," she said. "And he did have wings."

Sam smirked. "Thank you, Katie." He looked at Dean. "Okay, look, Dean. Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?"

"Maybe he's some kind of demon. Demons lie."

"Demon's don't have wings," she pointed out.

"A demon who's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps... and Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!" Sam told him.

"Wait, hold up," Katie said. "Who's Ruby and who's Lilith?"

Dean exhaled. "Ruby's a demon. We met her last year. Lilith is a big time demon in hell. When I made the deal to keep Sam alive, Lilith held my deal."

"Ahh…so, she's Hell's Bookie," she said sarcastically. "How nice for her."

The boys laughed. Satisfied with Katie's catch up, Dean looked at Sam.m "Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one... at some point... ever?"

"Yeah. You just did, Dean," he said matter-of-factly.

"I'm trying to come up with a theory here. Okay? Work with me."

"Dean, we have a theory."

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please."

"Why is this so unbelievable to you?"

Dean looked down into Katie's matching green eyes, but didn't say anything.

"Okay, look. I'm not saying we know for sure. I'm just saying that I thing we-"

"Okay, okay. That's the point. We don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe that this thing is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!"

"You two chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?" He looked at Katie. "Could you come in here please."

All 3 Winchesters walked into the room. "I got stacks of lore - Biblical, pre-Biblical. Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

"What's cuneiform?" Katie asked, generally interested.

"It's an old ancient style of writing."

"Oh, cool."

"What else?" Dean demanded.

"What else, what?" Bobby said grumpily.

"What else could do it?" Dean needed to know.

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box?" Bobby asked. Dean nodded. "As far as I can tell, nothing."

"Dean, this is good news."

"How?"

"Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?

"Okay. Say it's true. Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"

"Of course!" Katie said.

"At this point, Vegas money's on yeah."

"I don't know, guys."

"Okay, look. I know you're not all choirboy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof.

"Proof?"

Yes.

Proof that there's a God out there that actually gives a crap about me personally? I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it.

"Why not?"

"Because why me? If there is a God out there, why would he give a crap about me?"

"Dean-"

"I mean, I've saved some people, okay? I figured that made up for the stealing and the ditching chicks. But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy."

"Apparently, you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs."

"Well, that creeps me out. I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by... God."

"Okay, well, too bad, Dean, because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat."

"Fine. What do we know about angels?"

Bobby picked up a pile of books and placed them in front of him and said to Dean, "Start reading."

Dean looked at the pile of books and turns to Sam. "You're gonna get me some pie." Dean grabbed a book off the top of the pile.

Sam smirked and looked at Katie. "Go take a shower and get dressed and then we'll run into town, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

* * *

They pulled into the parking lot of the store and they both got out of the car. Sam was talking to Dean on the phone and Katie pulled her list out of her jeans back pocket. Sam looked up to see Ruby lurking behind the building. He hung up with Dean and looked at Katie. "Go ahead and head in. I'll be there in a sec."

She nodded and walked into the store. Sam walked to Ruby. They talked about the fact that an angel saved Dean and Ruby seems really freaked out by it. They got back to the house and they were packing up to leave. Bobby told them they were going to check on Olivia Lowry, a hunter friend of his.

She climbed into the backseat as Sam slid over so that Dean could take the wheel. Dean took the bag and looked inside. "Dude?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's the pie?"

Katie smirked. "Hey," she tapped Dean's shoulder. "I don't know how you feel about these, but I'll share one of the two I got."

He looked down and seen an apple pie in a box in her hand. He smiled. "Thanks, Beautiful."

"You're welcome."

* * *

They got to Olivia's place and Dean looked at Katie. "Stay between me and Sam, okay?"

She nodded. "Yes, Sir."

He halted. "Don't do that."

"Wha..what?" she asked genuinely innocent.

"Sir," Sam explained. "Your grandfather made us call him that."

"Oh," she said. "Sorry. I didn't know. Mom made me call her ma'am, so…"

"Well, don't call me 'Sir." He looked at her and said firmly. "I'll tolerate 'Dean' for now and at some point I'd hope for dad, but it's on your timetable, Kiddo, but I will not tolerate 'sir', okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

They got out of the car and she did as she was told, staying between Dean and Sam. They walked into the house, all 3 men had shotguns. She took a hold of her dad's coat and then stopped when he did. She turned to look and laying on the floor was Olivia's body. "Oh, God…"

Bobby gasped slightly and then walked out. Dean called after him and then looked at Katie. "I want you to go outside."

"But, I've seen-"

"Katie, please," he pleaded. "I know your mom probably let you see this stuff, but I'm not your mom and I don't want you to see it."

She looked into his eyes and sighed. "Okay. I'll go…check on Uncle Bobby."

"Thank you."

They investigated the room and noted some things, then Bobby came back in, Katie stood by the door. "Bobby, you all right?" Dean asked.

"I called some hunters nearby…"

"Good. We can use their help," Dean said.

"...except they ain't answering their phones either."

"Something's up, huh?" Sam asked, standing.

"You think?"

"Uncle Bobby!" Katie exclaimed.

Bobby walked out of the room. Sam and Dean exchanged concerned looks. Katie's stomach dropped in fear. If hunters were dying like Olivia did, did that mean she'd lose them? She walked further into the house. "Um…Dean."

"Yeah?"

"If hunters are dying will you?"

Sam looked at his brother and then at his niece. He knew what this was. Dean walked to her. "Not if I can help it, Sweetheart."

* * *

They checked other hunters, and just like Olivia they were dead. Katie was getting more and more frightened. What if she did lose them before her dad knew that she looked at him like a dad? She sighed. Dean called Bobby and told him what was up at Jed's house. They decided to head back to Bobby's.

At some point, Katie had fallen asleep in the backseat and Dean had switched places with Sam to sleep himself. Sam stopped off at a Gas and Sip and got some gas. He headed in to pay and use the bathroom. When he finished, he started washing his hands when the are smoked like it was really cold. The ghost of Victor Henriksen began kicking Sam's ass.

Outside, Dean woke up and realized that they had stopped. He got out of the car and shut the door. Katie began to stir. "Go back to sleep, Sweetheart. I'm just going to check on Uncle Sam."

"With the shotgun?" she asked, still half asleep.

He nodded. "Yeah."

He walked into the bathroom and shot at Henriksen. The ghost disappeared. On the way back to Bobby's Dean attempted and failed to get a hold of Bobby. Katie sat up and looked at her uncle and father. "Is Uncle Bobby going to be okay?"

He opened his mouth to lie and decided lying wasn't the best course of action. "I don't know, Katie."

She looked at Sam and saw the abrasion on his forehead. "What happened to you?"

He smiled. "A ghost and I didn't see eye to eye."

"So, he beat the crap out of you?"

He nodded, "Pretty much."

"When we get back to the house I can fix you up. I used to do it for mom and Grace." She looked at Dean. "Bullets are really, really hard to get out, did you know?"

He laughed. "Yeah. I know."

They got to the house and all rushed in, the boys with shotguns, and Katie between them. They searched the entire downstairs. No Bobby. She sighed. "Where could he be?" She asked out loud as she picked up an iron fireplace accessory. "Iron still "kills" them, right?"

Dean smiled. "Right."

She looked at both guys. "If you have to separate, who do I stay with?" She looked at them in the eyes. "This is something I need to know."

"Your dad," Sam said.

They see an iron fireplace rod on the floor in front of the stairs and they check it out. They hear a noise and they separate. Dean and Katie go check out the noise and Sam goes to check outside. They slowly climbed the stairs. They get to the top of the stairs and round the corner when a door blows shut. Katie squeaks in fright. Her hands, which are holding the iron is shaking.

A door creaks open and Katie looked at her dad. "Are we going in there?"

He nodded. She groaned. "But…"

Dean looked at her. "Just trust me, okay? I know that's hard for you because you don't know me, but please trust me."

She didn't say anything, just followed him in, holding the iron. The air became cold, their breaths smoky. Katie looked behind her when she seen a blond haired girl come out of nowhere. She gasped. Not caring that she hadn't said it to him, she stammered, "Da-da-da-dad!"

"Dean Winchester, still so bossy."

Dean turned and Meg said, "This is what I looked like before that demon cut off my hair and dressed me like a slut."

"Meg?"

"It's okay, I'm not a demon."

Katie looked at her dad. "You know her?"

"Long story." He looked at Meg. "You're the girl the demon possessed."

"Meg Masters. Nice to finally talk to you when I'm not, you know, choking on my own blood. It's okay. Seriously, I'm just a college girl. Sorry - was. I was walking home one night and got jumped by all this smoke. Next thing you know, I'm a prisoner…" she touched her head. "….in here. Now, I was awake. I had to watch while she murdered people."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, yeah? So sorry you had me thrown off a building?"

"Well, we thought-"

"No, you didn't think! I kept waiting, praying! I was trapped in there screaming at you! "Just help me, please!" You're supposed to help people, Dean. Why didn't you help me?" she pleaded.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry!" She hit him and knocked him to the floor, which knocked Katie to the floor.

Meg slapped Dean and knocks him to the floor.

"Meg. Meg…" Dean tried.

Meg kicked him. Katie gasped. "Dad!"

"We didn't know," he insisted.

"No... You just attacked. Did you ever think there was a girl in here? No. You just charged in, slashing and burning. You think you're some kind of hero?"

"No, I don't."

She grabbed Dean's jacket and he notices the hand has a brand on it as she says, "You're damn right. Do you have any idea what it's like to be ridden for months by pure evil... while your family has no idea what happened to you?"

"We did the best we could."

She shoved him to the floor and kicked him again. He looked at Katie. "Move."

She scampered up and started backing up down the hall as Meg kept at him and at him, kicking him. Katie's gut tightened as she watched her father get up. She looked at Meg and then at her father again. Tears welled in her eyes. "Dad…" she said tearfully.

He crawled into a room away from Katie and took his gun out as Meg followed him inside. "Come on, Dean, did your brain get french-fried in Hell? You can't shoot me with bullets," she taunted.

"I'm not shooting you." Dean shot at the ceiling and an iron chandelier falls and lands on Meg, she disappeared. "Iron," he said.

"DAD!" she rushed inside and threw herself in his arms. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'm good." He kissed her hair. "Now." And he had never spoken more truer words than in that moment.

* * *

They get back downstairs and the chaos starts happening again. Katie sighed, "Oh, not again."

"Come on, Katie," Bobby said. They gathered up some stuff and went to the basement.

He opened a completely iron-clad, salt-covered panic room. Katie looked around when the lights when on. "What…is this?"

"You built a panic room?" Sam asked, smiling.

"I had a weekend off," Bobby said, looking serious.

Katie laughed. "Of course," she looked at Sam, "Because something like this only takes seventy-two hours to build."

Sam snickered.

"Bobby."

"What?"

"You're awesome." He smiled and then the smile faded when he seen a poster of the famous Bo Derek picture of her in a bathing suit. "Oh."

* * *

Katie was pacing to keep awake. Dean watched her. "Hey, Beautiful."

"Yeah?"

"Go to sleep."

She shook her head. "I'll sleep when my dad, uncle and pseudo-grandfather's lives aren't being threatened."

Sam smiled. "Do you even know what that word means?"

"Um…no…" she said innocently.

"It means fake," Sam said. "An imposter."

Her mouth formed an 'O' and she looked at her dad and then Bobby. "I'm sorry!"

He laughed. "It's okay. You should sleep."

She shook her head. "Can't, even though I want to."

* * *

An hour or so later, Sam and Dean are making salt bullets at a table, while Katie's reading one of the many books Bobby's got in the room with them. "See, this is why I can't get behind God."

"Huh?" Katie asked, confused. "Have you finally cracked?"

Sam chuckled. "What are you talking about?"

"If he doesn't exist, fine. Bad crap happens to good people. That's how it is. There's no rhyme or reason - just random, horrible, evil - I get it, okay. I can roll with that. But if he is out there, what's wrong with him? Where the hell is he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself? You know, why doesn't he help?"

Sam and Katie, then Dean turn to look at Bobby.

"I ain't touching this one with at 10-foot pole."

"Yeah."

Seconds later, Bobby said, "Found it."

"What?" Sam and Katie said in unison.

"The symbol you saw - the brand on the ghosts…" Bobby explained.

"Yeah?"

"Mark of the Witness."

"What?" Katie asked walking to Bobby.

"Witness? Witness to what?" Sam asked as Katie read to herself over Bobby's shoulder.

"The unnatural. None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts - they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They were like rabid dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them... on purpose."

"Who?"

"Do I look like I know? But whoever it was used a spell so powerful it left a mark, a brand on their souls." Sam walked to him, standing beside Katie. "Whoever did this had big plans. It's called "the rising of the witnesses." It figures into an ancient prophecy."

"Wait, wait." Dean rose. "What - what book is that prophecy from?"

"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know. But long story short - Revelations. This is a sign, boys."

In unison the brothers asked, "A sign of what?"

"The apocalypse."

"Whoa, time out," Katie said. "As in 'the world is coming to end' and all that crap?"

"That would be it."

"Great. As if finding your father who was risen from hell by an angelic butthead wasn't enough."

"Butthead?" Sam and Dean said in unison.

"Well, the word I wanted to say I'm not old enough to yet," she said sassily.

Dean laughed. "Oh, kiddo, you're exactly what I needed."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell you later."

They decide before taking the End of the World Road Trip, that they should take care of the ghosts upstairs. Dean looked at Katie. "Sweetheart."

"Yeah?"

"Do you know how to use a shotgun?"

She nodded. "One of the rare times mom actually taught me, she taught me to use a gun. Why?"

Dean smiled. "Good. We're gonna need your help."

She nodded. "Okay. What do you want me to do?"

"Shoot anything that don't look like us," Sam told her.

She nodded and cocked the gun. "Got it."

After shooting a ghost on the way upstairs, they got to the library. Dean and Sam helped Bobby gather everything, while Katie stood watch. The twin girls that had died on one of Bobby's cases appeared. She aimed and fired, they disappeared.

"Good job, Baby."

As Dean walked into the kitchen to gather some ingredients the twin girls appeared again. Katie aimed, and fired again. As Bobby continued to gather stuff, the sliding doors to the kitchen closed. Katie looked at Bobby and Bobby said, "Dean?"

"I'm all right, Bobby. Keep working."

After Dean and Sam came out of the kitchen and Bobby started the chanting, all that could be heard through the place was the sounds of gunshots as Dean, Katie and Sam just kept shooting. As they got closer, Meg's ghost tried to get Bobby and he dropped the bowl. Dean caught it and threw it into the fire.

Katie put the gun down and rushed to the older man. "Bobby!"

"I'm…o….kay…" he told her.

The boys helped him to his feet.

* * *

Later that night, Katie couldn't sleep even though her mind, body and soul were exhausted. Wrapping the blanket around her, she went downstairs. She found her dad and uncle sleeping in the living room. She went to her knees beside her dad and woke him up. "Dean."

He blinked tiredly. "Baby, what are you doing up?"

"I can't sleep," she said softly. "Can I lay with you?"

Dean looked into her eyes and could tell she was exhausted. "Sure, baby. Come here."

She laid down and Dean wrapped an arm around her. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah," she whispered. He had no idea how okay it was. No one besides Grace had held her while she slept. She always wondered what it would feel like to have her dad hold her while she slept. "Good night…dad."

His heart swelled with joy. "Good night, Baby." He kissed her hair. And listening to her sleep lulled him to sleep also.

* * *

In the morning, Dean jerked awake and found the spot where Katie had been laying empty, but her blanket was there. He looked around and saw Sam getting ready for the day. Sam looked at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Where's Kate?"

"Bathroom. She's taking a shower. She said she wanted to make sure it was free when you woke up." He smiled. "Dean. I gotta say, you have one amazing kid."

"I know."

"Why did she come lay next to you last night?"

"I think she had a bad dream or something," he answered. "So... You got no problem believing in... God and Angels?"

"No, not really."

"So, I guess that means that you believe in the Devil."

"Why are you asking me all this?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: In The Beginning

-Late September…

Katie woke up on the grass in a park and she looked around. Her heart was thundering hard in her chest as her stomach churned with fright. Where was she? Where was her dad? Uncle Sam? She noticed that everyone seemed to be wearing old clothes. Like 1970s clothing. She ran a hand through her semi-curly hair and tried to figure out where she was. Where her dad was. She exhaled.

She continued to look around and then headed toward town, which wasn't that far from where she was. She straightened her jean jacket and attempted to figure out where she was.

Dean jerked awake from another nightmare and his eyes flew open. He looked over his shoulder to check on Katie when he realized that she wasn't there. They were watching a stupid movie the night before and had fallen asleep. He looked beside him again and Cas was there.

"Hello, Dean. What were you dreaming about?"

"What, do you get your freak on by watching other people sleep? What do you want?" He sat up and looked at Castiel. "Where's my daughter?"

"She's safe. You'll see her soon."

"What? Where is she?"

"Listen to me. You have to stop it."

"Stop what?"

Castiel put 2 fingers to Dean's forehead….

"Move it buddy – you can't sleep here."

Dean jerked and looked around tiredly. "Okay... sleep... where?"

"Anywhere but here."

He sat up and pulled John's journal from the large pocket inside his leather jacket and then pulled his phone out. He flipped it open and it beeped at him saying 'No Signal'. Dean moved it around to see if the signal would catch, but nothing. "Perfect."

"Yeah, I tried that too."

Dean's whipped around when he heard that voice. Relief washed over him when he saw his daughter standing there in the outfit she wore the day before. Cream colored jeans, green long-sleeved shirt, and a blue jean jacket. He quickly stood and rushed her, hugging her. "Oh, thank God…I was worried."

"Me too," she said and held onto him. "Where are we?"

"I don't know." He looked across the street and saw 'Jay Bird's Diner'. "But let's get you a soda and me a coffee. Maybe if we get some caffeine in us then we'll be able to figure this out."

They walked into the diner and Dean sat down next to the dark haired man and Katie took the stool next to him. Dean looked over at the dark haired man. "Hey, where the hell am I?"

"Jay Bird's Diner."

"Yeah, thanks. I mean, uh... city and state."

"Lawrence, Kansas."

"Lawrence."

"Hey, you okay buddy?" the dark haired man asked.

"Yeah, tough night."

"Hey, uh, coffee here, Reg."

Katie looked to see who Reg was and seen a hippie man over in the corner of the counter. "Okay, coming right up," Reg said.

She had a feeling they weren't in 2008 anymore. Dean pulled out his cell phone and said to the dark-haired man, "Can you tell me where I can get reception on this thing?"

"The USS Enterprise?" he joked.

Katie snickered. "Um…Dean, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, figuratively speaking.

"What?" he looked up at Reg who brought his coffee over. He was dressed in old hippie clothing, something Sonny Bono would have worn in the early days of Sonny and Cher. "Thanks... nice threads. You know Sonny and Cher broke up, right? Could you bring my daughter a soda please?"

She smiled. "I'll take a coca-cola, please?"

He nodded.

"Sonny and Cher broke up?" The dark haired guy asked.

Katie looked around and tapped her dad. "Hey, look. They're dressed in clothes that remind me of a Scooby-Doo cartoon."

Dean looked around the diner and noticed everyone dressed in 70s-era clothing. Katie looked at the headline on the dark haired man's newspaper: Nixon accepts resignation of top…. the rest is cut off by how the man was holding the paper.

"Um…dad, wasn't Nixon the seventies president?"

"Yeah."

She nodded to the paper. "Look. See if you can see a date." She smiled at Reg. "Thank you."

Dean looked at the date on the paper and seen that it said April 30, 1973. "Nineteen-seventy-three."

A man entered the diner and greeted the dark-haired man. "Hey, Winchester."

Both Dean and the dark-haired man look around. The older man shook the hand of the dark haired man. "Son of a bitch. How you doing, Corporal?"

"Hey, Mr. D."

"I heard you were back."

"Yeah, a little while now."

"Good to have you home, John, damn good."

"Dad?" Dean asked a little surprised.

"Well, say hello to your old man for me."

"You got it, Mr. D."

John noticed Dean staring at him. "Do we know each other?"

"I guess not," he muttered.

John gets up to leave. "Take it easy, pal."

"Yeah," Dean muttered.

She looked at her dad. "That was grandpa?!" she exclaimed quietly.

He nodded slowly, still in shock. "Yeah. That's him."

"Oh…." she watched him leave. "He's cute."

Dean stared at his daughter horrified. "Katherine!"

She smiled. "Nice to know that I got the good looks from somewhere."

He chuckled in disbelief. "Come on, Smart Ass. Let's get out of here and try to figure out a way home."

They started to discreetly follow John through town. As they rounded the corner they almost bumped into Castiel. Katie yelped. "What is this?"

"What does it look like?" Castiel asked.

"It looks like I'm in a new version of Back to the Future," Katie shot at him.

Castiel looked down at her, confused. "I don't understand that reference."

"Is it real?" Dean asked.

"Very."

"But how?"

He put a gentle hand on Katie's shoulder and said to Cas, "Okay, so what? Angels got their hands on some DeLoreans? How did we get here?"

"Time is fluid, Dean. It's not easy, but we can bend it on occasion."

"Well bend it back or tell me what the hell I'm doing here!"

"I told you, you have to stop it."

Katie glared at him, arms folded over her chest. "Anyone ever told you, you're kind of a jerk?" She looked at her dad. "Again, not the word I wanted to use."

He laughed softly, then looked at Cas firmly. "Stop what? Huh? What, is there something nasty after my Dad?"

Behind them tires screech and a horn honks and they look. When they turn back Castiel's gone. "Oh, come on! What, are you allergic to straight answers, you son of a bitch?!"

Katie scoffed. "Yeah, nice friend you got there…dad."

"He's not a friend," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He's a pain in my ass."

They found John at Rainbow Motors. Katie looked at the sign and scoffed. "Yep, we're in the seventies."

He laughed. "What's the name of the-"

"Rainbow Motors! If that doesn't scream psychedelic hippies I don't know what does."

He laughed. Katie halted. "Okay. I may not know much about cars, but I do know that the hippie love van is not for grandpa."

"Hippie love va-what?" he turned to see John looking at a '64 Volkswagon van. "Oh, God…no."

She looked around and stopped. "How come your version of it looks better?"

He looked and smiled. "It's because I take better care of it than the salesman did." He leaned up against the car and said, "That's not the one you want."

John looked up as Katie walked over to her dad. "You following me?"

"No, no, we were just passing by. I never got to thank you for that cup of coffee this morning. I was a little out of it."

"More than a little."

"Let me repay the favor." He tapped the impala's hood. "This is the one you want."

"Oh yeah, you – you know something about cars?"

Dean nodded, looking somewhat nostalgic. "Yeah... yeah, my Dad taught me everything I know. And this – this is a great car." He tapped Katie gently. "Baby, stand up, please." He opened the hood. John joins him on the other side of the car. "327 four barrel, 275 horses. A little TLC and this thing is cherry."

"You know man, you're right."

Dean nodded toward the van. "Then what are you buying that thing for?"

"I kinda promised someone I would."

"Over a '67 Chevy? I mean, come on, this is the car of a lifetime. Trust me, this thing's still gonna be badass when it's 40."

John considered it for a moment and then holds out his hand to Dean. "John Winchester. Thanks."

Dean shakes his hand. "Dean Van Halen-this is my daughter Katie. And thank you."

John looked into the open window as Dean kept talking, "I was in pretty rough shape this morning, huh?"

"No kidding."

"I've been hung over before but, hey, I was, I was getting chills in that diner. You didn't feel any of those cold spots, did you?"

"Nope."

"I swore I smelled something weird too, you know? Like... like rotten eggs. You didn't happen to smell any sulfur by chance?"

"No."

"No... There been any cattle mutilations in town recently?"

"Okay, mister! Stop it."

"Yeah, if only I knew what to stop. Listen, uh – watch out for yourself okay?"

Katie looked at her father. "What were you doing?!"

"I have no idea what I'm looking for with this, Kate. Thought I'd ask."

"Well, I think it's safe to say he wasn't born into it-like me-or grew up in it like you."

Dean and Katie waited inconspicuously as John pulled up to a normal looking house. A woman comes running with blond hair and was really beautiful. She had a huge smile on her face, until she saw the car. "Hey," John said in greeting.

"What's this?" the girl asked.

Katie leaned over her dad and asked, "Who's the girl? She's really pretty."

"My car," John said.

The girl walked around to the back of the car, John followed her. "What happened to the van?"

"Mary, this is better than the van! This has got a 327, a four barrel carburetor."

"Mom?"

"That's grandma?!" She leaned back in her seat. "Dang, I swear I won the genetic lottery."

He smirked. "Thank you."

She shrugged. "Well, I had to get it somewhere. Mom was a pretty woman, but an ugly person, so…"

"Hey, come on. Don't talk about your mom that way. She used to be cool."

Katie laughed. "She hated you!"

"She didn't hate me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have confused, 'I hate your father' with 'I was madly in love with him'." She looked at him, giving a look that said, 'come on dad'. "Come on. She used to call you my sperm donor." She saw a look settle over his features. She hurt him? She had unintentionally hurt her father?

"For the record I cared about your mother."

"I know," she said softly. As he pulled away from the curb, she said, "And I never thought of you that way. I've always wanted to meet you. Even with mom screaming that at me for as long as I could remember. I wanted to see for myself how bad you were."

"And am I?"

"No," she said softly as he slowed at a light. She looked over at him and contemplated for a moment. "Dad."

He looked at her. She smiled. "In only the few days I have known you I think you're great. You took to being a dad better than even Grace thought you would. And with how everything came about I couldn't be happier for that." She smiled at him. "I'm glad I had insisted on Grace helping me find you. Even if meeting you was nerve wracking as hell."

He laughed. He wrapped an arm around Katie's shoulders and hugged her, kissing her hair. "Thank you, Sweetheart."

"You're welcome," she said. "Now are we going to like spy on Grandpa and Grandma's date, cause I gotta say that'd be weird."

He smirked. "Not really, but we gotta keep an eye on them, okay?"

She nodded. "I know. It'd just be nice to know what we're looking for."

"Me too."

They stood outside the restaurant and watched Mary and John. Dean chuckled. "Sammy, wherever you are...mom's a babe." He halted.

"Eww! Dad."

"And I'm going to hell...again."

She laughed.

"Why are you following us?"

Katie whirled around and squeaked in surprise.

Before Dean could explain anything, the younger version of Mary began kicking his ass. That's when Katie noticed her bracelet. "You're a hunter!"

"What?"

"You're a hunter," she said. She held up her own charm bracelet. "Your charm bracelet. It's like mine."

They waited for John and Mary to come back. Mary said her goodbyes to John and then Dean and Katie came out of the shadows. Mary looked at him. "Dean, right?"

He nodded. "And this is my daughter, Katie."

She smiled, then looked at Dean. "You're raising her in the life."

"I couldn't drag her out if I wanted. Her mother started it. And right now I can't leave, so…"

She nodded tentatively. "I'm not sure you should come in."

"You can trust me. I mean, come on, we're all hunters, right? I mean, we're – we're practically family."

"Yeah, thing is, my Dad, he's a little, um…"

"Oh, I gotta meet him."

"You've heard of him?"

"Clearly not enough."

They go into the Campbell home, Katie loops her hand into the crook of Dean's arm as they head inside. "So, you're a hunter? Well, tell me something, mister hunter, you kill vampires with wooden stakes or silver?"

"Neither, you cut their heads off."

Mary smiled.

"So, did I pass your test?"

"Yep. Now get out of my house."

"Dad!"

"Well that was just rude," Katie said.

The older man looked at her. "Excuse me?"

"You're rude. And kinda crotchety," she told him. She looked up at Dean. "Yes, I know what that word means."

Mary snickered. "Cute kid."

"Yeah, she think she is."

"Is she yours?"

He nodded, beaming a smile at her that was full of pride and joy. "Through and through."

The old man looked up at him. "I don't trust other hunters, Dean, don't want their help, don't want them around my family."

Katie could hear what she assumed was her great-grandmother setting the table in the dining room. She called out to the older man, "Knock it off, Samuel."

"He's a hunter."

The older woman walked into the room. "Who passed your little pop quiz, and now I am inviting them to dinner. Besides, the girl reminds me of Mary at her age." She looked down at Katie and then at Dean. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," he answered.

"Good." She held out her hand and he took it. "I'm Deanna, you've met my husband Samuel, now wash up."

Dean looked at Mary. "Samuel and Deanna?"

Mary nodded. "Really?" Dean asked.

They quickly washed up and then Dean and Katie walked into the dining room. He smiled. "I'm Dean. This is my daughter, Katie."

"Daughter?" Deanna asked. "You must have been young. She's what, eleven?"

"Twelve," Katie answered confidently.

Deanna chuckled. "Yes, Katie, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She looked at the older couple. "May I sit, please?"

"Of course," Deanna said.

They started eating. Deanna leaned over and touched Dean's arm. "First time in Lawrence, Dean?"

"Well, it's been a while. Things sure have changed... I think."

"It's my first time," Katie said.

"You working a job?" Samuel asked.

"Yeah, maybe," Dean said evasively.

"What's that mean?"

"It means I don't trust other hunters either, Samuel."

Mary quickly changed the subject. "Hey, um, so why were you following me and John?"

"Mmm, I thought something was after your, um, boyfriend, but um, I don't think that anymore."

"John Winchester mixing it up with spirits, can you imagine?"

Samuel sighed and made a face that Mary seen. "I saw that."

"What?"

"That sour lemon look."

"Now hold on, John's a really, really nice... naive civilian."

"So what? You'd rather me be with a guy like this?" She nodded in Dean's direction.

"What? No, no. No."

"Mary, of course not, it's just that I-"

"There's nothing wrong with being a mechanic, Mr. Campbell. It may not be as exciting as hunting the supernatural, but if John didn't love it he wouldn't be doing it, right?"

Mary smiled at the young girl. "Yes, thank you, Katie."

"That's enough, both of you, we have company."

"So what about you, Samuel, you, uh, working a job?"

"Might be."

"He's working a job on the Whitshire Farm," Mary revealed.

Samuel gives Mary a look as Dean clears his throat. "Whitshire, why does that name sound familiar to me?"

"Well, it's been all over the papers. Tom Whitshire. Got tangled up in a combine a few towns over."

"That kind of thing happens."

"So why was he on it in the first place when his crops are all dead?"

"Demonic omens?"

"That's what I gotta find out."

"What about the rest of the town? Well, did you find anything on the web? ...Of information that you have assembled."

"Electrical storms maybe," Deanna said. "The weather service graphs should be here on Friday."

"By mail?"

"No, we hired a jet liner to fly 'em to us overnight."

"You know, it sounds to me like we might be hunting the same thing. You know if we go in there in numbers, we could take care of this real quick," Dean said casually.

"What part of "we work alone" do you not understand, son?"

"You really should stop being so grumpy," Katie murmured, smirking into her milk. She took a drink. "It creates wrinkles."

A little while later, Dean and Katie began to leave. "Dean?"

He looked up at his grandmother. "Yes, ma'am?"

"If you don't mind, would it be okay if Katie came over while you, Samuel and Mary are at the Whitshire Farm."

He smiled and looked at Katie. "If she wants to come I don't see why not," he answered. "Would you like to?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Campbell."

The next day, as promised while everyone else was out working, Deanna and Katie stayed at the house and just hung out. Katie looked at Deanna. "May I play a record?"

"Absolutely. Play as many as you want."

A little while later, Deanna had been enjoying herself watching the little girl dance to just about every danceable beat that they had in the house. She was currently on an Isley Brothers song, This Old Heart of Mine. Katie looked at the older woman and smiled. "You ever dance for fun, Deanna?"

She shook her head. "Not anymore."

She walked to her and pulled her to her feet. "Then you gotta," she told her. She restarted the record and then rushed over to where Deanna stood. "Follow me."

The woman smiled and clumsily followed the young girl's version of the hustle. They were both enjoying themselves so much that they didn't even notice that Samuel, Dean and Mary had come back until Mary giggled. Katie looked up and waved her grandmother over to join them. Mary happily jumped in and began spinning, clapping hands and then spinning the other direction.

When the song ended Katie, walked into the other room to shut it off. She breathed heavily. She looked up at her dad. "Hi, dad."

"Hi, Baby. Having fun?"

She nodded. Deanna tapped Dean on the shoulder. "I'm so glad you got custody of her after her mother passed, Dean."

"Huh?" He asked a little confused.

Deanna smiled. "Katie told me what her mother was like and her Godmother. And the way you and your brother have been taking care of her. Sounds like to me that she's in the better place."

His heart leapt. "Thank you, Ma'am." He smiled. "Do you have a map of the town?"

"What's wrong?" Katie asked.

"He's back."

"Who's ba…." the realization of what he was talking about hit her. "You mean Yellow-Eyes?"

He nodded. He talks to Samuel and Deanna. He's all but begging them to believe him. Katie stepped forward. "I believe you, dad. What do you want me to do?"

He smiled, kissed her head and said, "I knew I could count on you."

"Always," she said. "Let's go say goodbye to Mary."

They started walking out and she whispered, "It feels weird calling her by her first name. I've always called her grandma, because she was your mom."

He smiled and put an arm around her shoulders. "I know, Sweetheart. Imagine how I feel."

Dean drove to Colorado to get the Colt from Daniel Elkins, while Katie slept in the backseat. Cas popped in and they talked and Dean vowed to not let his parents die this time.

They got back to Kansas in time to help at Liddy Walsh's place. He parked the car and looked over his shoulder. "You can come in but stay out of the way. I don't want this bastard hurting you, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay, Dad."

They walked into the house, but before Dean could take the shot Azazel disappeared. Katie sighed and jogged over to Mary. "Are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine. Thank you."

They get back to the Campbells' house and Katie starts pacing. Samuel watches her. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's feeling helpless. She's a kid and she knows there's trouble and there's not much she can do."

"You didn't teach her to defend herself?"

"Her mother had her for the first twelve years. I don't know what she taught her."

"She never taught me to fight. Grace did," she said. She looked at both the men and said, "And I'd appreciate it if you'd stop talking about me like I'm not here." Feeling frustrated and scared she said, "If you have a dang question, ask it. Don't whisper it to each other." She looked at her great-grandfather. "No, my mother didn't teach me to fight, because she was actually a really bad mom."

"Why are you pacing, Sweetheart?"

"Because you're right dad. I'm frustrated and I'm scared out of my mind. I've never gone up against a demon. I've fought guys long enough to get away, not to actually take them down like you do. I'm barely over five foot. I can't even take you down. I could barely take mom down when we would spar." She looked into her dad's face. "I wanna help, but I don't know how."

"We'll figure it out, okay, Sweetheart?"

She nodded. Dean attempted to tell Samuel that Mary would die without telling him who he was, but it didn't work. He sighed. "Alright, listen to me." He goes to the table and sit down next to Samuel. "Now, this is gonna sound a little... actually it's gonna sound massively, massively crazy."

"Okay," Samuel said.

"Mary is my mother."

"Excuse me?" Samuel asked, stunned.

"And I am your grandson, and I know what the hell I'm talking about."

Samuel looked at him in disbelief. "You wanna run that by me again, son?"

"My real name is Dean Winchester. I was born January 24th, 1979. My parents are Mary and John Winchester."

"I don't have to listen to this."

Katie looked at her great-grandfather. "Please, stay."

He stayed.

"Mary gets killed by a yellow eyed demon in 1983, and I think that this – what happened tonight – I think this is the moment that he caught her scent. Now, if we don't catch this thing now, and kill it, and it gets away? Then Mary dies. So I am asking you, please. How did I know about the Colt? Huh? How did I know about the Yellow Eyed Demon? Or where it would be? I'm not making this up, Samuel."

"Every bone in my body is aching to put you six feet under, but there's something about you – I can't shake it. Now, I may be crazier than you, son, but I believe you."

"Thank you."

"I mean, how do we find this bastard?"

"Right here, the list." He opened John's journal.

"And with the Colt?"

Dean pulled it out and put it on the table. "Yeah."

Katie didn't know if she should tell her dad what she was feeling, but she was really beginning to feel very off about this situation.

"Here, let me see it."

Dean hesitated and moved it further from Samuel. "Sorry, I don't let anybody hold it."

"I'm your grandfather."

"Nothing personal."

"Sure it is, especially when it's me you're trying to kill," he said.

Samuel's eyes turn yellow. Yellow-Eyes raised his hand and the chair that Dean is sitting slams against the wall.

"Dad!"

"Katie, Baby, stay back," he grunted out. He glared at Yellow-Eyes.

"Future boy, huh?" Yellow-Eyes taunted from the dining room. He walked over to Dean. I only know one thing that's got the juice to swing something like that. You must have friends in high places. So, I kill your Mommy? That's why you came all this way? To see little old me?"

"Oh, I came here to kill you."

"Hey, wait a minute, if that slut Mary's your Mommy, are you... are you one of my psychic kids?" He leaned in and sniffed Dean.

While he was doing that, Katie snuck away. She began to quietly pace and think about what could weaken a demon. She paced as she thought. Deanna came into the room. "What are you doing?" She whispered.

"Iron. Do you have anything with iron in it?"

She nodded. "The fireplace."

She walked over to the fireplace and picked up the poker. She could use this 2 ways, but the second would kill her great-grandfather. She closed her eyes and prayed, "Please forgive me."

Deanna peeked around the corner of the kitchen doorway and sees what is happening. Katie joined her. They listened as Yellow-Eyes taunted Dean. They moved further into the room as Dean continued to talk to him.

After finished taunting him, Dean said, "Maybe not today, but you look into my eyes, you son of a bitch, 'cause I'm the one that kills you."

"So, you're gonna save everybody, is that right? Is that it? Well, I'll tell you one person that you're not gonna save." He took a knife out of his pocket. "Your Grandpappy." He stabbed him into the torso.

Deanna screamed out in horror. Katie exhaled. As he chased down Deanna he forgot about Katie and she walked up to him and hit him in the only part of his body that was showing flesh, his head, it sizzled slightly. Which got his attention and he turned around. "Ooh. Who are you?"

She slid her green eyes to her father who was fighting to get free. She turned her eyes up to the demon dressed inside her grandfather. "I'm a Winchester," she said proudly.

He laughed. "You're kinda cute."

He attempted to reach for her and she smacked him with the poker. She glared at him. "You touch me and you better hope you can hide pretty well…you, Yellow-Eyed Jackass."

"Aww…you're cute."

"Katie!" Dean exclaimed.

"Dad!"

Yellow-Eyes disappeared by the time he got to his daughter. "Katie!"

"Dad," she muttered. He came to her and she clung to him. "Daddy. I was so scared."

"I know, baby, but you were so strong too. I'm proud of you."

She then looked up at him. "Dad….grandma!"

"Mary... Mary!"

By the time they got to the lake, Mary was already sealing the deal to get John back. Dean parked the car and ran out, only to have Yellow-Eyes escape. Katie got out of the car and walked to her dad. He looked heartbroken and devastated by the fact that they couldn't stop.

"I'm sorry, daddy."

Both Dean and Katie jerked awake and she looked around. She flipped around, "Daddy."

He turned. "I'm right here, Baby." He flipped his legs over the bed.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You couldn't have stopped it."

Dean stood. "What?"

"Destiny can't be changed, Dean. All roads lead to the same destination."

"Then why'd you send me back? Send us back?"

"For the truth. Now you know everything we do. Plus, it gave you time to bond with your daughter. I hear that every parent needs that."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Castiel looked at the other bed and Dean and Katie followed. Sam's bed hasn't been slept in. "Where's Sam?"

"We know what Azazel did to your brother. What we don't know is why – what his endgame is. He went to great lengths to cover that up."

"Where's Sam?"

"425 Waterman."

Dean grabbed his keys and his jacket. Katie stepped forward. "Dad, may I come with you?"

He nodded. "Come on."

"You brother is headed down a dangerous road, Dean, and we're not sure where it leads. So stop it. Or we will."


	6. Chapter 6

Dean drove, heading to the location that Castiel had told them. He turned to Katie. "How much has your mom and Grace told you about our family? About me and your uncle?"

She shook her head. "Not much," she answered. "Grace told me that Grandma Mary died in a fire. And that Grandpa John died in an attempt to save you. And that you were really close to Uncle Sam. That you practically raised him, which is why Grace thought you'd be perfectly okay with having a kid."

He nodded. "Okay. Sounds like she brushed over some details. Um…you know the brief statement that Yellow-Eyes told me in seventy-three. Well, it's true. Azazel bled in Sam's mouth the night that mom died. Dad interrupted him which is why the house was set on fire would be my guess."

She nodded. "Okay. If he bled into Uncle Sam's mouth, what's that mean exactly?"

"It means that Sam was to be recruited when Azazel got his army off the ground-which never happened, because I shot him before he could win and put it together. However, the year I made the deal-"

"The deal that sent you to hell? The one that forced you to leave me.

He nodded. "Right. I did it so that Sam could live. I've been taking care of him since I was four years old. I just…"

She nodded. "What about it has to do with what we're about to do?"

"Well, your uncle's got some kind of freaky ESP thing because of the demon blood in his system."

She nodded. "Okay. Dad, I'm not really seeing the point in this conversation besides to give me family history."

"You may see your uncle doing some freaky stuff. I just want you to be okay."

She nodded. "I'll be fine. I saw mom being ripped apart by demons…" she sighed, "I think I can handle this."

He smiled. "We're gonna talk about what you've seen and what you haven't."

She nodded. "Noted…." she smirked, "….daddy."

She got out of the car when he threw it into park and he laughed.

They walked into the warehouse and quietly watched. Katie covered her mouth, covering the gasps as she watch her uncle exorcize a demon with his mind. She glanced up at her dad. He held out his hand and she gladly took it.

They walk into view so that Sam could see them. Katie glared at the dark haired girl and then back at her uncle. "I gotta say, that's a pretty cool parlor trick, Uncle Sam."

"Katie…." he gasped.

"So…" Dean said, "Anything you wanna tell me, Sam?"

Sam looked at his brother innocently. The dark haired girl stood behind him, just watching Dean. Dean walked toward him as he talked.

"Dean, hold on, okay? Just let me-"

"You gonna say, "let me explain"? You're gonna explain this? How about this? Why don't you start with who she is, and what the hell is she doing here?"

Dean is staring at him hard, Sam turns back and looks at Ruby who looked completely calm. She smiled at Dean as she said, "It's good to see you again, Dean."

"Ruby?" He looked at Sam. "Is that Ruby?"

A memory flashed into the little girl's mind, she gasped. "She's that girl you met up with at the store!"

Dean glared at him. "You let her near my daughter?!"

"Dean-"

"Your daughter?" Ruby asked and then started laughing. "Maybe God does have a sense of humor."

Dean turned on Ruby and took her by the front and slammed her against the gated part of a wall. To Katie's horror, instead of defending her father or helping him, Sam wrestled the knife from Dean. Dean turned on Sam and slammed him against a wall, Katie quickly moved out of the way. Ruby then slammed Dean against the same wall she was just again.

Katie glared at her uncle. "Do something. You started this whole thing."

"Ruby, stop it!"

Ruby stared into his eyes, but keeps a chokehold on him with her right hand. Dean's staring right back at her, angry. Finally, Ruby lets him go with a shove.

Dean gasped, "Well, aren't you an obedient little bitch?"

Before Ruby could attack him again, Sam got her attention. "Ruby." She keeps looking at Dean. "Ruby, he's hurt." He signaled for her to leave. "Go."

Ruby prepares to get the man out when Dean calls to her, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"The ER... unless you want to go another round first."

Dean starts walking out, with just a glance at his brother. Katie sighed. "Dad, stay."

He stopped. "What?"

"You wanted to know what happened to mom. Stay. I'm sure it'll come out once I got out what I have to say to Uncle Sam."

"Katie, let-"

"No!" She screamed. "I won't let you explain. God!" She growled. "What is wrong with you?!"

"Katie-"

"You're working with demons, Sam! De-mons!" she screamed. "I can't believe you'd do this to me!"

"Do what?"

"They killed my mom!" She yelled almost at the top of her lungs. "They killed my mom. Actually enjoyed watching as they tore flesh off her body," she said. "And they wouldn't let me or Grace leave as they did it." She sighed, paced away from her family and then whirled back on them. "They killed Grace's dad and now, you're chumming it up with one of them!" She glared at him, the pain, hurt and anger there. "Not to mention that they killed three very important people to you, Sam. What is wrong with you?!"

"Katie, wait-"

"No!" she screamed. "I won't wait as you try to justify your actions. There's nothing…" she exhaled and walked out.

Dean followed. She got into the front seat where Sam usually sat and Dean got into the driver's seat. He watched her for a minute, silently fuming. "Do…d-d-do you wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head. He started the impala and just drove. She wasn't just hurt and pissed at her uncle. She was hurt and pissed at everyone in her life. Her mom for never wanting her and for rushing into that cabin that night. She was even more pissed at her mom for allowing the demons to put her and Grace in that position to watch as they killed her. She was pissed at Grace for leaving her to figure this all out on her own. If either of those women cared about her they would have stayed and treated her better.

Then her dad….he was such an idiot! Why in the heck would he make the deal with that crossroads demon to bring Sam back? So, it was true that he didn't know about her, but he wasn't here when she needed him to be and that was because he had to 'bring him back'. So, she had to figure it all out on her own. She had to make her own judgments about her father on her own because he wasn't there to correct them.

Then Uncle Sam has to go and betray them all by working with them?! Why would he do something like that when they had caused so much pain to their family. She could feel her anger coming off of her, in waves, vibrating through the car. "Dad, pull over."

"What?"

"Pull over," she said more firmly.

Dean did as she asked and pulled over. She got out of the car before it even stopped rolling and walked across the gravel. He quickly got out of the car. She balls up her firsts and tilts her head toward the sky and just lets out this sad frustrated scream.

"Katie…?"

She took a couple of deep breaths, in and out, in and out. "Why is it that the adults in my life do stupid crap?"

"Excuse me?" he asked, that question coming out of nowhere.

She seriously felt like punching something. "Why in the heck would you make such a stupid deal?!" she yelled. "Huh?" She knew that this wasn't fair to pour this all out on him, but she had to get it out. Negative emotions made her close people out. "I needed you!" she exclaimed.

Dean had no idea where all this was coming from but he had a feeling from watching the tears that slid down her cheeks and glistened in her eyes from the moonlight and the coming and going headlights, that she needed to get it out. Besides, he had a feeling it wasn't all directed toward him. "Katie-"

"It was a stupid deal," she told him, fire in her words. "It was beyond stupid. It was boneheaded." She turned and ran her hands through her hair and turned back to him. "All I wanted to do was meet you. Be with you. Finally get to know my dad. The man who helped the woman who was never my mother give me life in hopes that maybe you'd want me. Then I got to Uncle Bobby's and Grace…" her voice shook as the tears slid down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away. "When Bobby told us you went to hell I was…" She looked into his eyes. "I was devastated. Then I was angry because I thought what you did was the stupidest thing I had ever heard of. Who in their right mind would sell their soul to Hell?"

She exhaled slowly, trying to take control of her emotions, but it didn't work. "And where do I even start with the stupid stuff mom did?!" she almost screamed. "One, never telling you you were going to be a dad and why? Because she wanted to hurt you. And for some reason she thought hiding me from you would do that."

"It would have, Kate." He pressed a hand to his chest and said, his own voice shaky with tears, "I've always wanted to be a dad, but I could never imagine it because of the lifestyle we lead. And I sure as hell didn't want you in this."

"Which is why she did it," she said. "She knew it would hurt you to know that your only child was raised in a business that could kill her at every corner." She sighed. "Mom didn't want to be a mom. She had told me enough. And now, Grace doesn't want me."

Dean's chest tightened in agony as he heard his little girl bursting into tears. He hated messy emotions, but she needed to know that there was going to be one person-

"No!" she exclaimed. "I'm not done." She sighed. "Let's just chalk it up to mom being a horrible mother and decide that she should have never been a mom. Then Grace ditched me with people I barely knew so that she could go hunt with Mike." She looked at her dad. "Why doesn't anyone want…" her voice stuttered with tears, "me, daddy?"

Dean walked to her this time and Katie pounded her fists into his chest. She shoved at him. "I needed you! And you weren't here! I needed you to be the one person who wanted me!" she said as she pounded her fists into him.

He fought her and held her as she cried, himself crying. "I'm here now, Katie," he whispered. "I'm here now and I do want you, Baby. And if it takes me the rest of my life to prove it to you I will. I won't go anywhere and I promise to try not to make stupid decisions again."

She gave him a watery laugh and then pulled away from his hug. "Why would Uncle Sam work with demons, daddy when demons have done so much damage to not only him, but our entire family?"

"I don't know, baby," he said softly. "Can we get back in the car? We'll go to one of those all night diners and get some food, okay?"

She nodded. "Chili-Cheese fries?"

"All you can eat," he chuckled. "Oh, Baby, you are so my daughter."

They got back into the car and Katie waited until they were down the road a little before she said anything more to her dad. "I knew you wanted me, daddy. I've known for awhile."

"How?"

"Well, one, you believed me when I told you stuff. And two, you held me after a nightmare. Mom or Grace never did that. I know it may seem like Grace was affectionate, but most of the time she wasn't." She looked at her dad. "It means a lot to me that you would care enough and want me enough to care about my bad dreams."

He smiled and looked at her before turning his eyes to the road. "Anytime, Sweetheart. And I mean that."

* * *

In the morning, Dean pulled into the parking lot of the motel and turned to Katie. She had fallen asleep, with her head in his lap before the sunrise even finished. He touched her soft light brown hair gently and looked into her face. She was beautiful….and he made her.

 _This might sound horrible of me, Elle, but I'm glad some parts of you never changed and you charged in without a plan. If you hadn't I wouldn't be sitting here now, mesmerized by the one thing we did right._ He gently caressed her face, moving the hair out of her face. "Hey, Beautiful. We're here. You need to get up so we can pack."

"Okay," she said groggily. She sat up and ran her hands through her hair. She slid across the seat and opened the passenger side door. She stretched. "How long was I sleeping?"

"About an hour maybe." He stopped her at the door. "Now, remember, let me and Sam duke this out, okay?"

She nodded. "I'm just gonna pack. Just don't beat him up too bad. He seems like a whiner to me." She walked into the motel, Dean laughing.

"Hey, Katie," Sam attempted.

"Good morning," she said in response. She picked up her duffle bag and looked inside, realizing she didn't really unpack all that much. She walked into the bathroom.

Dean started packing his own bag. Sam stood and went after him. "Dean, what are you doing?"

Dean ignored him and continued packing. "What, are you, are you leaving?" Sam asked as Dean packed up the rest of his clothes.

Katie walked into the room and handed Dean his toothbrush. He looked at her. "Thank you, Baby." He looked at Sam. "You don't need me. You and Ruby go fight demons."

She finished packing, zipped up her bag and waited for her dad. He grabbed the bag and started for the door, when Sam moved in the way. "Hold on. Dean, come on, man."

Dean spun and punched him in the face. Dean stopped and watched his brother.

Sam turned and looked at his brother. "You satisfied?"

Dean hit him again, then threw his bag on the floor. Sam touched his lip, it's bleeding. "I guess not."

"Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone? How far from normal? From human?"

"I'm just exorcising demons."

Katie scoffed.

Dean yelled. "With your mind!" At a loss for words he just stared at him. "What else can you do?" He asked more calmly.

"I can send them back to hell. It only works with demons, and that's it."

Dean grabbed him and walked him backwards. "What else can you do?!"

"I told you!" Sam pushed his hand away and they stop.

"And I have every reason in the world to believe that." Dean walked away.

"Look, I should have said something," Sam insisted.

Dean stopped and turns back to Sam.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I am. But try to see the other side here."

Dean faced him. "The other side?"

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people."

"Use the knife!"

"The knife kills the victim! What I do, most of them survive! Look, I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year."

"That what Ruby want you to think? Huh? Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers?" He shook his head, sad. "Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends."

"I'm not gonna let it go too far."

Dean smiled at that, walks over to one side of the room and knocks a lamp to the floor. He turns back to his brother, looking angry. "It's already gone too far, Sam. If I didn't you know... I would wanna hunt you."

Katie gasped. "Daddy."

"And so would other hunters," Dean told him.

The brothers continue to talk about it until they get interrupted by an old family friend named Travis.

* * *

They pack up and leave the motel. She tossed her bag into the backseat. "So, who's Travis?"

"An old friend of the family," Dean told her. "He helped teach us about hunting."

"Oh…cool." She heard a muffled ringing sound and began digging through her backpack. She finally found her cell phone and answered, "Hello?"

"It's me, Sweetheart."

She looked at the number on the display and then put the phone back to her ear. "Grace?"

"Yeah. Who'd you think it was?"

"You got a new phone, I wasn't sure. What's up?"

"Is your Uncle Sam right there?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I need to talk to him, Katie."

She scoffed. "So, call his phone."

"Katherine-"

"No! You don't get to use my full name as if you're an actual adult who cares about me, Grace! You ditched me and I'm just supposed to be okay with that?!" She sighed. "Well, I'm sorry but I'm not. Call his phone and stop using me as a go-between because you're afraid to talk to him." She sighed. "Here he is." She held out the phone to the other man. "Just so you know, either of you ditch me and I reserve the right to kill you both myself."

Dean laughed. "Noted. But baby, we talked about that."

"And I don't plan on going anywhere, Kate."

She smiled. "Good. Now talk to Grace. Apparently she's using me as a go-between."

On the way to Carthage, they talked about 1973 and what happened. By the time they had gotten to Jack Montgomery's place, Katie was asleep in the backseat, softly snoring. Dean pulled over to the curb and pulled a blanket it from the floor of the car. He threw it on her.

"You guys seem to be doing better."

He nodded. "Much."

"She's calling you 'dad' now?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He sighed. "I thought I'd never say this, but it's a very cool feeling." He smiled. "I never thought I'd like being called 'dad' or even being one, but…."

Sam had never seen his brother like this. He seemed happy and maybe, just maybe content. Could having Katie be around be exactly what he needed?

They pulled up to the address Sam had found and sat outside the Montgomery home. "Are you sure that's him?"

Dean looks through the binoculars into the kitchen window. He just sees an average Joe type of guy. "And we're looking for…"

"Travis said to keep an eye out for anything weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, well, yeah, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top. But this guy? I mean, come on, this guy's boring."

"I don't know, Dean. Travis seemed pretty sure," Sam said.

Both brothers watch as the man picks up some hamburger still in the plastic packaging. He ripped it open and began eating it, scarfing it down actually like a starving man.

"Oh, that's gross!"

They turned and both smiled as Katie, groggily, looked out the window at the man who was eating the raw meat like it was his last meal. Sam looked back through the binoculars at the man. "I'd say that qualifies as weird."

"That qualifies as disgusting, Uncle Sam."

Dean chuckled. "Hey, Sleepyhead."

"I'm 'Uncle Sam' again, huh?"

She pulled her gaze to her father and then looked at the back of her uncle's head. She pulled herself forward and wrapped her arms around the large man. She kissed his cheek. "Even though I disagree with your choice of friends, you will always be my uncle. Nothing will ever change that."

He wrapped his large hands around her slender arms and squeezed affectionately. "Thank you, Katie."

"Sit back, Sweetheart." She sat back down and Dean pulled away from the curb.

They walked into the motel and Katie stopped when she seen the older man sitting at the table, one arm wrapped in a cast from his thumb to his elbow. Dean smiled. "Travis." He looked over at Sam. "See, Sam, told you we should have hid the beer."

"Get over here, Smart ass."

Dean moved past his daughter, whispering, "It's okay, Baby." He hugged the older man.

"Ahh, good to see you," Travis said.

"You too," Dean commented.

They break and Dean moves aside so that Sam can hug him. "Good to see you."

"You too, Travis." They come apart.

And thinking she's been forgotten, like she was with mom and Grace, she dropped her bag. Dean looked at Travis and then Katie. "Travis, I want you to meet someone. Katie, baby, come here, please."

She walked over to her dad and looked at the tall man. Dean began the introductions, "Travis, this is my daughter, Katie. Katie, this is an old friend of ours, Travis."

Travis was stunned. "Your daughter?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Hi," she said. "Good to meet you." She tapped his cast. "I hope the other guy looks worse."

"We can hope," he chuckled. He looked at Sam. "Damn, you got tall, kid."

"How long has it been?" Travis asked.

"Ah, gotta be 10 years," Sam said.

"You still a.. oh, what was it... a mathlete?"

"No."

"Yep, sure is."

Katie smirked up at him. "Aww, Uncle Sam was a geek."

"Hey, hey, hey," Sam said. "I wouldn't say much, Miss ninth grader."

Dean stopped and looked at his brother. "What?"

He nodded. "That's what the phone call was about from Grace. She wanted to let me know that the test I had Katie take a week ago came back and it would seem that intelligence runs in the family. Your daughter is a high school freshman."

"And thank God, I don't gotta go to a regular school. Can you imagine how much crap I'd get for only being twelve and in the ninth grade?" She looked up at her dad and uncle. "I'm gonna jump in the shower."

"Okay, baby."

She grabbed her pajamas and then headed into the bathroom. Travis waited for the door to close and then looked at Dean. "Your daughter?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I thought that too."

Travis looked at the kid. He looked extremely happy to be one, proud even. "You're liking it."

"Well, I've only had her for a few days, but I love it."

Travis nodded. "Been too long, boys. I mean, look at you. Grown men." He looked at Dean. "You're a dad." He looked at both boys. "John would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this."

"Yeah. Yeah, we're as thick as thieves." Dean glanced at Sam, who's smile was disappearing with his words. "Nothing more important than family."

Travis walked over to the table, as Dean followed, ignoring Sam. "Sorry I'm late for the dance."

They sit at the table, Sam sits on the bed next to Dean, across from Travis. "Thanks for helping out an old man. I'm a little, uh, shorthanded." They all laugh. He looked at both boys. "You track down Montgomery?"

"Yeah, we found him at his home," Sam said.

"And?" he insisted.

"Well, he had a hell of a case of the munchies, topped off with a burger he forgot to cook."

"That's him alright."

"What's him?"

"Boys, we got a rougarou on our hands."

"A rougarou?" He looked at Sam for a second. "Is that made up?" He looked back at Travis before Sam could answer. "That sounds made up."

"They're mean, nasty little suckers. Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"Well, that ain't this guy. I mean, he was wearing a cellphone on his belt."

He'll turn ugly soon enough. They start out human, for all intents and purposes."

"So, what? They go through some kind of metamorphosis?"

"Yep, like a maggot turning into a bull fly."

"But most of all they're hungry."

"Hungry for what?" Dean asked.

"Daddy."

Travis shut up and waited for Katie to come closer. Dean turned. "Yeah, Baby?"

"Do you have cash on you for a pizza?"

He stood and pulled some cash from one of his front pockets. He handed it to her. "Remember to get-"

"Meat lovers," she finished for him. "I know, daddy." She wrinkled her nose at her uncle. "So, you still want veggie pizza?"

He nodded. She shook her head. "You are not normal."

"What?" he laughed.

"Vegetables do not belong on a pizza, Uncle Sam. Unless it's peppers and onions. And even at that point they're not considered vegetables."

Sam laughed, hard. "Oh, man, she is so yours!"

"And it used to make mom really mad too," she tossed over her shoulder.

"Yeah, well…"

She pulled her cell phone from the front pocket of her duffle bag and then walked over to her father. She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him tightly. For Dean, this was paradise right here. To hold in his arms something he created, to already feel the love that was already there for the little girl. He kissed her hair.

She turned her face into his neck and whispered, "I already love you more."

He didn't need to hear anything more. He hugged her tight. "I love you too, Baby," he whispered. And he had never said those 3 words and meant them more.

By Katie's reaction to him saying that, he could tell that Elle never said it and Grave probably hardly ever did. He hugged her tighter again and said, "Go order the pizzas, Kit-Kat."

She walked away and Dean looked at his brother. "Shut up."

He held up his hands in a 'don't-shoot' pose and said, "I would never."

Dean looked at Travis, "So, what are they hungry for?"

"At first, for everything, but then... for long pig."

Sam scoffed a little at that, understanding what he meant by it. Dean looked at both them confused. "Long pig?"

"He means human flesh."

"And that is my word of the day."

Katie smirked as she hung up the phone. "Ten to one says it was never on Seasame Street."

They laughed. Travis continued, "Hunger grows in till they can't fight it. Till they got to take themselves a big, juicy chomp, and then it happens."

Katie cringed. "That just sounds disgusting."

"What happens?" Sam asked.

"They transform completely and bite's all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin; all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they're a monster forever. And our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

"Well, how'd you find this guy if he's a walking, talking human?" Dean asked as Katie leaned her head on his arm.

"Lets just say it runs in his family."

"You mean, uh…"

"Killed his daddy back in '78. Son of a bitch mangled 8 bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife... Little did I know, pregnant trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system."

"You mean to tell me you couldn't find someone?" Sam sounded surprised.

Travis sighed, "I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid... I don't think I'd have the heart. No. I wanted to wait, make damn sure I had the right man. Apparently, I do." He took a swig of his beer.

The room fell silent and Katie sighed. "Well, that just brought down the room."

"Hey, Katie-it's cool if I call you that?" Travis asked.

She nodded. "No one calls me Katherine unless they're mad at me. Mom used to call me 'Katherine' all the time."

"Can I ask you some questions?"

She nodded. "Sure."

"Who's your mom?"

"Elizabeth Manning. Patrick Manning's daughter."

His eyes widened and he looked at Dean. "I didn't know you and Elizabeth were together."

"Not many did and we weren't together long. I didn't even know Katie existed until a couple of weeks ago."

"Really?" he asked a little surprised.

He nodded. "Why?"

"By the way you guys act you'd think you've known this whole time."

Dean smiled, proud. "Thanks. But no. Had no idea she was pregnant."

Katie cleared her throat. "Next question."

"When were you born?"

"Um….July 4, 1996 in a motel room in Oklahoma City. And before you ask, my mother was killed by demons about eleven months ago. Took me awhile to convince my mother's best friend, Grace to help me find my dad."

"Is your last name Winchester?"

She had a feeling she knew what this was. She stood from the bed she was sitting with Sam and walked over to her duffle bag. She dug around for something and then pulled out sealed folder. She walked back over to the bed, pulled it out of the plastic and opened it on the bed. She pulled something out of the folder and handed it to him.

Travis looked at it. Sitting there in printed black was Dean's full name listed as father. He looked at Dean. "Did you ever get anything in the mail about a kid?"

He shook his head. "But I couldn't in the eyes of the government Dean Winchester's dead, so…." He took the paper and looked it over. She was 6 pounds, 3 ounces and 23 inches long. He looked at Katie. "You shouldn't be holding these, Sweetheart."

She nodded. "I know. I just didn't know where to keep them."

"Uncle Bobby would have kept them, Baby," he said and looked through the rest of it out of curiosity.

There was a knock on the door and Katie turned to get the pizzas.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Katie was curled up in bed sleeping as Travis and Dean prepared to take out Jack with blow torches. Sam walked into the room, papers in hand. "Not wasting any time, are you?"

"None to waste. The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains."

Sam walked further into the room and seen Katie sleeping. He pulled the covers up around her a little more, then sat on the bed next to the table. "What if he doesn't hulk out? I did a little homework. Uh, I've been checking out the lore on rougarous."

"What? My 30 years of experience not good enough for you?"

"What? No. No, I-I- I just wanted to be prepared. I mean, not that you didn't.."

"Sam loves research. He does. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. It's a sickness." He gave Sam a matter-of-fact look. "It is."

"Look, everything you said checked out, of course, but uh. I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this rougarou gene or whatever. See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step."

"Really?"

"See, if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform."

"So what? Go vegan, stay human?"

"Basically. Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not…"

"Long pig," Dean said, smiling.

"Right."

"Congratulations, daddy. You finally got to use it."

"Hey, you're supposed to be sleeping."

"Voices carry," she said as if that's explanation enough.

Entire time Travis was quiet as Sam explained. He stands, "Good on you for the due diligence, Sam. But those are fairy tales."

He walked to the pantry as Katie got out of bed. "Don't pacify him like that."

"What?" Dean said.

"Don't pacify him like that. He's an adult now. He's not the scrawny little kid that needs to be placated." She looked at her father. "I have been told by Grace, you and Uncle Sam that this job is about sixty percent research."

"Right."

"So the one time that he actually did what you taught him and the fountain of knowledge on these…things is going to trumps all that?"

Dean didn't say anything. Travis smiled. "Look, you're just a little girl, you don't under-"

"Do not tell me I don't understand!" she almost yelled. "I understand a lot more than you think, Old Man!"

"Katherine!"

She glared at her father. "Huh. This must be what Grace meant by you bending to the will of men who remind you of your father."

"Excuse me?"

She turned on him and said, "You heard me." She looked into her father's eyes. "He's not grandpa. You don't have to stand at attention every time he walks into a room and you sure as heck don't have to follow everything he tells you like grandpa did. You're a dad now. Act like it." She grabbed the pillow and blanket off the bed. "I'm sleeping in Baby."

"Fact is, every rougarou I ever saw or heard of... took that bite," Travis said as Katie started walking out.

"Katie. Please, stay."

Sam stood while speaking, "Okay, well, that doesn't mean that Jack will."

Dean watched Sam rise, and rose himself. Travis said, "So what do we do? Sit and hope and wait for a body count?"

"No, we talk to him. Explain what's happening. That way he can fight it."

The conversation continued, but honestly Katie tuned him out, unable to listen to this old man anymore. Finally she tuned back in, "I don't know. But we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for."

Katie looked at him, just as her dad did. Sam took a couple of breaths and left. Travis looked at Dean, a bit puzzled by Sam's reaction. "What's up with your brother."

Dean looked at the door and then Travis. "Don't get me started."

Katie scoffed. She knew where this attitude was coming from. She'd been playing in her mind what Castiel said to them about Sam. You stop him or we will. And she couldn't but think that they'd kill him. "Don't get you started?" she asked. "Dad, you know exactly what is wrong with him, because you did it."

"Outside," Dean barked.

Katie's face paled slightly and she walked out. He stopped her. "First off, you _will not_ speak to me like that again."

She nodded solemnly. He continued, "And second, what is wrong with you?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry daddy."

He sighed and looked her in the eyes. "It's okay, Baby. Tell me what's wrong?"

"Well, Travis is acting like there is no other way and even in the short time I've known you and Uncle Sam you've shown me there's always another way." She exhaled. "Plus…would you really kill Uncle Sam?"

He looked taken aback by her question. "Of course not." He remembered what he said and knelt down to her. "Sweetheart, you have to remember, I took care of Uncle Sammy. I would never intentionally hurt him, but you know-"

"But Cas said they'd stop him!" she reminded him. "And I keep thinking that they'd kill him without even batting an eye."

"They probably would," Dean said softly. He smoothed out her hair. "But Baby, I would never let them hurt him. Just like I would never let them hurt you, okay?"

She nodded. Dean looked her in the eyes and said, "Now, please, go back to bed. You need sleep."

She nodded. He tucked her in and then went back to the table and helped Travis.

* * *

The next morning, Katie woke up to quiet. She stretched and glanced at the bedside table clock. 9:30. Wow….mom never let me sleep past eight-thirty. "Daddy?"

Silence.

She sat up, pushing the covers back. She looked around and didn't see anything. "Daddy?"

Still…silence. She looked at the table and smiled when she seen a plate of donuts. She walked over to the table and looked at the sweets. That's when she saw the note She picked it up and read:

 _Katie,_

 _Good morning, Sweetheart. Uncle Sam and I went to talk to Jack. The donuts on the table are all yours. There's orange juice in the mini fridge. And we should be back before you're alone too long._

 _We love you,_

 _Dad_

 _Uncle Sam._

She sighed. Dad knew how much it bothered her growing up to be alone. They had talked about it at the diner after Uncle Sam's secret was revealed. She finished one of the donuts and then decided on her outfit for the day. She cranked the music up and then headed for the shower.

Dean parked the impala and they both got out of the car and headed for the motel room, when they heard the upbeat 80s rock coming from their room. Dean unlocked the door and pushed it open. Sam snickered as they both watched the young teenager, rocking out, dancing like she hadn't a care in the world. She hopped up on the bed and danced around before she noticed that they were standing.

Dean watched as her cheeks tinged pink and she hopped off the bed. She walked over to the radio and flicked it off. "Sorry," she said softly.

Sam looked at her curiously and then at Dean. Dean walked into the room after his brother and closed the door behind him. "Why are you apologizing?"

She shrugged. Dean lifted a brow to his daughter. "Sweetheart…?"

She sighed and spit it out at about a mile a minute. "Mom used to get mad at me for turning it up because she said we had to keep a low profile."

He smiled. "Well, I don't know if you realized this but I'm not your mother."

She nodded slowly. "I know…."

Dean walked to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Baby, I'm not mad. And neither is Uncle Sam."

"However, did you finish that English assignment that Grace assigned you?" Sam asked her.

She nodded. "I finished it about twenty minutes ago. Hence the dance party." She shrugged. "It seemed appropriate."

"Was it hard?" Dean asked.

She shook her head. "No. Not hard. Just long. I've been working on the assignment since the beginning of September." She looked into his eyes. "Grace was a tyrant when it came to school. She liked to assign big assignments that would take me a long time to finish that way they could leave me for hours and do the case while I sat here doing homework."

"When you had a question who helped you?"

"Google," she admitted to her uncle. "Or there's this website, um…for students who need help in certain areas of school. I just ask the questions on there and they helped me with the answers."

Sam nodded. "Okay. Um…well, that won't be happening with me." He cleared his throat. "The only thing you'll be left with is writing assignments. Everything else I'll be here."

"And if you don't finish the homework Uncle Sam assigns you then you don't go hunting with us," Dean told her, with a hint of authority in his voice.

Her jaw dropped. "You mean I actually can go with you?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Um…between lessons with Uncle Sam I'll teach you about guns and stuff. I don't feel comfortable with you shooting at your age, but…"

"Grace taught me a little bit."

He nodded. "Good."

Changing the subject she asked, "How was whatever you went to go do?"

"We went to talk to Jack and of course, he didn't believe us."

* * *

Later that night, Dean and Sam left Katie in the motel room just in case that Travis came back. When he did he gathered stuff up and left again. Not liking the feel she got for him at that point, she followed him. He ended up at Jack Montgomery's place. She watched as the older man tied up Jack's wife.

She hid from Jack when he came home. She then watched as the man chloroformed Jack. She sighed. She pulled her cell phone out and dialed her dad.

"Katie, what is it, Baby?"

"Daddy, we have a problem."

"What?" he asked.

"Travis left the motel room without a word to me. I didn't like the vibe, so, I followed him. He's at Jack's house. He's tied them both up. I seriously think that your 'old friend' has gone certifiable, daddy."

"Okay, Baby, we'll be right there. Don't make yourself known, alright?"

"Okay."

She did as her dad said, but then she watched as Jack broke free and attacked Travis. She watched in horror as Travis tried to fight him, but it didn't work. Jack overpowered him, then started eating him. Katie moved away from the bushes and started throwing up.

* * *

That's how Dean and Sam found her. They rushed to her, Dean rubbing her back. "You okay?"

"You…" she panted…. "you need to get in there. Go. Mrs. Montgomery is already gone, but…Go."

"Okay," Sam told her. "Stay here, okay? Just stay here."

She nodded. She did as they told her and stayed put as they headed inside. She waited a little while and then went around the house, checking the windows. That's when she seen Jack, with her dad knocked out on the coffee table, but she didn't see Sam. Remembering what Travis said, she popped the trunk and looked for anything she could use to set this guy on fire.

Finally finding something, she dug into her bag and pulled out her hairspray. She rushed inside and slowly snuck in and got to the living room to see Jack inching toward her dad. "Get away from him!"

"Katie!" Sam yelled from the closet. "Katie, honey, you got to get out of here!"

Sam rushed out of the closet to see Katie raise the stick, then set it on fire with the lighter she had kept in her bag. She dropped the lighter and used her hairspray and sprayed the fire toward him. She waited until he was burnt to a crisp.

In between the time that Katie burnt Jack and Sam got out of the closet, Dean came to and watched as his little girl burnt someone alive. Sam took the stick and tossed it into the fireplace. She was in shock as she backed away. "Daddy…"

He stood and rushed to her. "It's okay, Baby. I'm okay."

"I had to. I had to. I had to," she kept repeating.

"I know, Baby. I know. It's okay," Dean told her, rocking her, soothing her. "It's okay. You saved us, baby."

"But…B-B-But I killed…I killed…" The acknowledgement of that seemed to have broke her control and she began to sob.

He rocked her, shushing her. "It's okay, Baby. It'll be okay." He lifted her in his arms and they walked out of the house, all three of them together.


End file.
